EICO-1: an orthodontist-maintained expert system in clinical orthodontics.

Expert systems are increasingly being used to provide comprehensive interpretative services for diagnosis and treatment planning. Some of these systems are constrained by the complexities of rule-based strategies and a need for knowledge engineers throughout the maintenance phase. A new approach to knowledge acquisition known as Ripple-Down-Rules was used in the development of EICO-1 (Expert Interpretation in Clinical Orthodontics). This expert-maintained system for automating orthodontic reports has a knowledge base of six hundred and eighty rules, and is maintained by an expert trained only in Orthodontics and without the help of knowledge engineers. EICO-1 is the first expert system in Dentistry to use Ripple-Down-Rules. It has potential as an interactive advisory tool and is applicable in a clinical situation.