This article was originally published in Group Dentistry Now.
Radiographs are one of the most important diagnostic tools in dentistry, but dentists can miss important details when they’re under time pressure, a study found.
The study published in the Journal of Dentistry found:
- 67% of bone loss missed
- 40% of tooth decay missed
Dentists can leverage artificial intelligence technology to analyze and annotate radiographs, reducing missed diagnoses and helping to provide better patient care.
Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Accuracy
DSOs including Dental Care Alliance, Dental365, and North American Dental Group are using Overjet’s FDA-cleared AI to help with clinical accuracy and consistency.
The AI algorithms detect and outline carious lesions, identify calculus, and quantify bone level measurements from the CEJ to crest of bone in less than a minute, drawing the dentist’s eye and making it easier to diagnose with confidence.
AI for Data Analysis & Efficiency
AI algorithms can review vast amounts of data quickly to identify patterns, trends, and insights. Overjet’s AI, for example, can analyze patient records in the practice management system and cross-reference those against the AI findings on radiographs to identify potential treatment needs that have not been diagnosed previously.
Only a dentist can diagnose, but the AI can make it easier to know where to look. It helps streamline the dental appointment when the team is already aware of potential treatment needs before the patient even arrives.
AI for Early Disease Detection
AI technology can identify carious lesions even when they are small, which helps dentists detect oral health problems earlier. By quantifying bone level measurements and pulling in other data points from the patient chart such as periodontal probing depths, the AI can help alert the dental team to patients who may have early signs of periodontal disease, too.
AI for Tracking Disease Progression
Dentists can compare the quantitative findings from recent radiographs and radiographs dating back 18 months to evaluate disease progression.This not only helps the dental providers in their diagnosis and treatment planning, but it also helps patients to visualize how the condition of their mouth is changing over time.
Enhancing Dental Diagnosis with AI
Even experienced dentists will be the first to say that evaluating radiographs can be a subjective process. Computer vision doesn’t care if it’s analyzing a radiograph early in the morning on Monday or during the last appointment on Friday; it’s going to provide an objective interpretation. This helps ensure clinical consistency, which leads to better results for patients.
