A robot dentist has carried out the first successful autonomous implant surgery by fitting two new teeth into a woman's mouth, mainland media has reported.

Although there were human medical staff present during the operation, they did not play an active role while it was being carried out.

The one-hour procedure took place in Xian, Shaanxi, on Saturday, according to Science and Technology Daily.

The implants were fitted to within a margin of error of 0.2-0.3mm, reaching the required standard for this kind of operation, experts said.

The technology was designed to overcome mainland China's shortage of qualified dentists and frequent surgical errors.

It was developed jointly by the Fourth Military Medical University's affiliated Stomatological Hospital, based in Xian, and the robot institute at Beihang University in Beijing over the past four years.

According to Dr Zhao Yimin, the mainland's leading oral rehabilitation specialist who works at the hospital, the robot combines dentists' expertise and the benefits of technology.

It conducts the surgery by itself so it can avoid faults caused by human error.