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AI Roundup Roundtable by Kyle Patton, associate editor

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Categories: Imaging, CBCT, and Radiography; Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
AI Roundup Roundtable


by Kyle Patton, associate editor

Dr. Devin Giron has been using caries-diagnostic artificial intelligence (AI) software for two years, and says the technology is getting better every day. For him, it’s like having an extra set of eyes—eyes with a special ability.

“The AI software is capable of seeing 500–700 shades of gray,” Giron says, “while the naked eye can see only 30–50 shades. I look forward to the technology being able to evaluate risk for bite, caries and periodontal disease—and giving quantifiable numbers so that patients can make an informed decision.”

The AI used in caries diagnostic software shares some commonalities with the AI models like ChatGPT, a now household name that has come to represent the technology at large in the eyes of the average consumer. Perhaps the most important quality is that the AI gets “smarter” as it turns more and more raw data and information that sharpens its knowledgebase.

Giron admits that there have been times the caries detection AI has been wrong, but at the same time, he says, the technology has pointed out a lesion or two he might have otherwise missed.

“If the technology continues to evolve as dentists input false negatives and false positives, I can see the AI diagnosing lesions equal to or better than a seasoned dentist,” Giron says. “I prefer things to be as black and white as possible. No more shades of gray.”

AI’s remarkable though imperfect capabilities have created a digital gold rush not seen since the dotcom boom of the late 1990s. The AI revolution marches on, though whether it will lead to a large-scale usurper of workers remains unclear. What is clear is that the technology has shown tremendous promise on two fronts every dentist deal with on a daily basis: clinical application and practice management.

AI as a business tool is by far the bigger market inside and outside of dentistry. Whether it’s in analytics, finance, supply chain, marketing or customer service, AI’s presence in everyday business operations continues to grow.

In a June 2024 Townie poll, 45% of dentists were considering adopting AI tech into their practices while 23% had already begun using it either clinically, as a practice management tool or both.

Dr. Sally Landon, a former assistant professor at Midwestern University of College and Dental Medicine, has seen the power of AI as an instructor and as a student returning for a graduate degree at Arizona State University.

“I just finished an academic integrity tutorial which included a section on the responsible use of AI for research and coursework,” Landon says. “I agree with the thought leaders that it is an extremely exciting time to be part of an emerging technology. I've heard it described as the Wild West at this point, and we've all certainly seen examples of ‘AI fails.’ But the opportunity for growth and development in so many fields is almost mind-boggling.”

The ADA’s stance on artificial intelligence uses in dentistry is one of cautious optimism. In December 2022, the association released a lengthy report on AI and other augmented intelligence systems that provided a comprehensive overview of clinical and nonclinical facets.

“This paper identifies many areas where AI/AuI have the potential for influencing the field of dentistry now and in the not too distant future,” the report concludes. “Dentistry is already beginning to see many changes including image analysis for caries and bone loss, robotic implant placement, and the many uses already implemented in prosthetic design and product construction. Many of the contributors to this paper would go further and suggest it will actually transform how dental care is delivered.”

In the interviews that follows, key figures representing some of the top dental companies have taken part to discuss the role of AI in dentistry and what dentists should consider before adoption. Readers will also get a peek at what these companies—Henry Schein, Overjet, Skygen and VideaHealth—have already brought to market.

Henry Schein
As chief innovation officer for Henry Schein, Dr. Bruce Lieberthal is at the nexus of evaluating hundreds of cutting-edge solutions and technologies, advising the medical and dental business units of Henry Schein on emerging trends and helping connect the company’s global sales, marketing and distribution capabilities with new products that could help its customers run better practices and deliver excellent patient care. Liberthal started at Henry Schein as the director of product management to the leadership team in Utah when Discus Dental Software was acquired by Henry Schein in May 2007. A leader in dental technology for 35 years, he graduated from the University at Buffalo SUNY’s school of dentistry in 1983 and practiced dentistry for 14 years.

How do you imagine AI will change the industry?
I believe there are very few activities within a dental practice that won’t be made more effective or more efficient with the application of AI. As a practice generates more data, AI systems will be able to learn continuously from that data for the benefit of the practice and patient.

What factors or angles should dentists pay the most attention to when considering adopting any AI technology into their practices?
  • Patient safety. AI holds enormous promise and the indications for its uses are myriad and growing quickly. But when applied to health care, clinicians need to make sure the tools they use do not lead to false positives/negatives, so-called hallucinations, etc. The FDA and other agencies are assisting by requiring some uses of AI—e.g., computer vision for radiographic diagnosis—to be cleared prior to professionals using it.
  • Integration. AI that is tightly integrated with the practice software, leading to straightforward, easy to use and understand workflows, is key to success with AI.
  • Patient experience. AI use can lead to great efficiencies in a practice. But poorly created and implemented AI solutions can lead to a poor experience. It is particularly important for practices to research AI tools and make sure the technology chosen enhances the patient’s experience.
Tell us about Henry Schein’s current AI offerings.
  • Dentrix Detect AI, powered and manufactured by VideaHealth, is a computer vision solution embedded within Henry Schein One’s dental practice management software, Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend. The solution uses FDA-cleared workflows and algorithms to assist dental professionals in diagnosing a variety of dental conditions such as dental caries, radiographic bone loss (a consequence of periodontal disease), existing restorations, and identification of the individual teeth.
  • For periodontal charting, Henry Schein One and Bola Technologies partnered to offer practitioners Dentrix Voice, a natural language solution that can understand and respond to natural voice and text for charting of teeth and scheduling. This allows a hygienist or periodontist to record results verbally, thereby expediting patient care and helping to enhance treatment acceptance rates.
For more information, visit henryscheinone.com.

Overjet
Dr. Gordon Barfield, a senior clinical manager at Overjet, is a leading expert on dental artificial intelligence. He spent 33 years as a practicing dentist and then orthodontist, treating patients everywhere from his own private practices to the U.S. Air Force. Today, Barfield plays a critical role in both developing the Overjet’s technology and educating oral health leaders. He earned his DDS from The University of North Carolina and completed his orthodontic certification and residency in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at the University of Nevada.

How do you imagine AI will change the industry?
For me, our DSO analytics suite is a perfect example of the true promise of AI: to be a strategic partner in building a world-class dental practice. Many of us know what it’s like to wear multiple hats; we’re full-time medical professionals and full-time business owners. It’s incredibly difficult to balance these roles when you have hundreds or thousands of patients. Ultimately, AI is here to complement us, to make our lives a little easier and to give us better information, so we can apply our expertise. Decisions about how to treat a patient should always be made by a doctor, not by AI. But at the same time, we have an obligation to use the best possible tools, including AI, so we can make the best possible decisions.

Tell us about Overjet’s current AI offerings.
Overjet uses AI to help dentists solve three make-or-break challenges: detecting oral diseases in a consistent manner, educating our patients in a way they can understand, and staying organized across our busy practice. Our technology is trained on millions of X-rays and tested by a team of leading dentists. This means it basically gives us a thousand lifetimes of dental experience every time we analyze a patient’s mouth. Overjet highlights the findings in bright colors to clearly show patients the exact size and shape of a cavity on their X-ray. It’s an absolute game-changer when it comes to case acceptance. The AI also keeps track of everything happening across our practice—and even across large dental groups that have hundreds of clinics. Overjet analyzes each patient’s information and past images to find new treatment opportunities, e.g., when a patient is due for sealants.

What is something your company offers dentists that you feel is especially unique, innovative and helpful?
One really exciting innovation is our DSO analytics suite, which we announced this week. DSOs collect a massive amount of data, but in the past it’s been challenging to actually make sense of all this data when trying to improve the consistency and quality of care. So, we built the first AI-powered analytics tool for DSO leaders, which transforms this mountain of data into insights that lead to action. Imagine that I want to improve our treatment planning rate for restorations. Now, I can drill down into the specific clinics and individual dentists that perform the most restorations—and figure out what they’re doing well.

For more information, visit overjet.com.

VideaHealth
Florian Hillen is the founder and CEO of VideaHealth, a leading venture-backed company developing dental AI technology to detect diseases in dental imaging, helping dentists avoid missing diseases and offering better health services to their patients. Hillen is frequently called upon by industry titans to share his expertise, including how to best operationalize AI within healthcare. He was previously a researcher at MIT's Institute for Data, Systems and Society and Harvard Business School and worked for McKinsey & Company. He holds master's degrees from MIT in computer science and technology and policy, a bachelor’s in management and technology, and the first State exam in Medicine. Check out Hillen’s article in Dentaltown magazine on machine learning.

What factors or angles should dentists pay the most attention to when considering adopting any AI technology into their practices?
A company's ability to partner with you to achieve your strategic, financial and operational goals should be top of mind. You should determine whether the product supports the entire dental team in delivering better care through improved clinical operations, how workflows will be affected, what type of support is offered, how quickly issues are resolved, and whether the company has the vision and mission to keep pushing forward, offering ever better technology and insight as our industry evolves.

Tell us about VideaHealth’s current AI offerings.
VideaAI, our dental AI platform, analyzes billions of X-ray images to learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy teeth and identify patterns that indicate dental disease. We're proud to have the broadest set of FDA-cleared detections in the industry, which can be used for almost all clinical dental issues, making VideaAI a useful companion for every patient case, for every practicing dentist. Today, we hear that our technology is enabling clinicians to offer the best possible care to their adult and pediatric patients, and their feedback is incredible.

How much does it cost?
Our platform has two modules: Clinical AI and Workflow AI. Clinical AI helps dental clinicians find more disease quickly, easily and more accurately across almost all areas of oral health, including periodontic, restorative and endodontic conditions. Workflow AI turns Clinical AI insights into action and drives clinical, financial and operational results by standardizing care within practices and DSO-supported practice networks. Clinical AI is our baseline module, and Workflow AI can be added at an incremental fee—overall pricing is based on the number of installed locations.

For more information, visit videa.ai.

Skygen
Dr. Larry Paul is the chief dental officer for Skygen, where he oversees all aspects of the company’s dental utilization review and management activities. He’s the clinical face of the company with a focus on using technology to empower population health-based efforts. He uses his clinical expertise to understand the member and provider experiences to ensure the best possible outcomes. Paul serves on several boards, including the board of visitors for his dental school alma mater, Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry.

How do you imagine AI will change dentistry?
While talks of AI as disruptive are common, I rather view AI as a powerful real-time connective tool able to bring together the various disparate stakeholders and create alignment in our industry:
  • Patients in the chair, who can benefit from improved patient engagement and satisfaction from things like AI-powered chatbots used to interact with them and answer their questions.
  • Dentists who can diagnose based on agreed-upon clinical parameters and create personalized treatment plans for patients, leveraging AI to analyze data and identify anomalies, cavities or other dental problems.
  • Administrators who can employ AI to streamline time-consuming administrative tasks like appointment scheduling, billing and record-keeping.
  • Insurers, who can receive payments faster and more efficiently due to AI-based claims adjudication and real-time payment processing.
Overall, AI has the potential to revolutionize the dental industry by improving diagnostic accuracy, treatment outcomes, patient experience and operational efficiency, and dentists and dental professionals who embrace AI technologies are likely to benefit from these advancements and provide better care to their patients.

What factors or angles should dentists pay the most attention to when considering adopting any AI technology into their practices?
When considering adopting AI technology, we must be able to help providers understand how to crawl before they walk. For instance, many dentists who are running small businesses generally need to first understand some of the basic examples or use cases to get their minds wrapped around the big picture benefits of integrating AI into their workflows. If providers move ahead with changes they don’t really understand or fail to consider the potential impact on their patient’s experience because of these technologies, they may not be as successful with their AI implementation.

What is something your company offers dentists that you feel is especially unique, innovative and helpful?
Skygen’s Dental Hub is a unique digital platform that streamlines business interactions and connects practices with multiple insurers, integrating crucial operations such as eligibility checks, real-time claims processing, EOBs and treatment plan adjudications into one comprehensive portal. With features like a centralized provider directory, efficient contracting, instant credentialing and enhanced revenue cycle management, the Dental Hub is truly a one-of-a-kind tool that streamlines functions between providers and their payers all in one place—creating efficiencies in terms of revenue cycle, claims, authorizations, predeterminations, credentialing and more, saving practices time and money in the process, and perhaps most importantly, bridging the gap in a disconnected and fractured dental ecosystem.

For more information, visit skygenusa.com/solutions.

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