Guest Editorial: Technology - Big Data- Artificial Intelligence- Communication and Covid
Authors: SAADIA Marc 
Published: June 2020

There is no doubt that technology has been and will continue to be advantageous and an unstoppable player that has invaded and improved our minute lives with good experiences, immediate results with answers, making our lives lazier, easier and more comfortable.

New generations are becoming more isolated and communication is jeopardized. This may separate us from what makes us human and may pave the way for humans to become expendable and replaceable. What we are seeing today, is just the beginning of what next decade revolutionary technological inventions is preparing for us and equals what humanity has produced since the invention of the wheel. The reason is that science and technology are growing exponentially. We, as pediatric dentists thought that one of our major advantages that would always prevail in humans is our ability to connect with other people. We were concerned with some telltales that did not look good. Young children boasting a tantrum when parents would take away the cell phones. Youngsters staying home connected digitally 8 to 9 hours every day. Young adults ordering food at home, eating and watching movies on demand alone. Parents ordering the their supermarket items digitally and missing the opportunity use their five senses. Not be able to see the variety of beautiful colors in the vegetable and fruit department, losing the possibility to smell all the fruits, touch them when picking them, hearing the different noises and tasting samples when they walk by the aisles.

Communication is becoming more and more virtual, human contact, social life, human interactions, physical presence, communication, bonding is slowly but irreversibly being lost.

With COVID and staying home, companies found that their employees could work from home. Self employed people could also operate at a distance. Dentists and physicians could dissociate themselves in many instances from the physical contact. They could with a phone and pictures, identify, collect, evaluate, implement information, diagnose, give indications, solutions and peace of mind with security for patient, parents and ourselves.

We are witnessing what new technology is undoing.

COMMUNICATION

No matter how fast technology advances, we cannot afford to lose out humanity.

A full paradigm shift will be necessary. Parents play an utmost part because their children are the most vulnerable part of society and we are a key element to guide them.

We need to rediscover the power of communication, community, unity by being present and listening the “other”. Today our main asset that technology hopefully will never understand, is feeling, loving, bonding.

We know more about children than any other person, specialty or profession. We see them growth, we know their likes, they will even come for their dental checkups with their children.

As the world is turning colder, and communications among us are affected, we need to show the patient that we genuinely care, because we do.

When we bond we enter a danger zone of “co-dependency” (in the good sense).

" Do we want to be keepers of the past to preserve the future?

" Can I care, still allowing the other to be separate?"

" Can I leave the comfortable me and enter the ever-changing other?

Are we ready to take on this challenge? If not, will most health specialties survive the XXI century?