Haven’t had the chance to catch up on what’s been going on in the dental industry? In this week’s Dental Industry Summary, we cover AI screening childhood caries, diagnostics using your smartphone and more.
A team of researchers in China has developed an AI model capable of detecting early childhood cavities before they’re clinically detectable. The model identifies subtle shifts in plaque microbiota among preschool children, and these changes are tell-tale signs of early cavity development and are difficult for practitioners to spot. The AI is able to identify existing caries with 98% accuracy, and can predict where cavities may develop with 93% accuracy months before they’re evident. Looking further into this could improve preventative care for all ages, potentially catching decay at the earliest possible stage when intervention is most effective.
With approximately 56 million Americans living in dental deserts, teledentistry is something many could benefit from. Recent research suggests that dentists can accurately diagnose patients using just a few smartphone photos, allowing more people to get the care they need. During the pandemic in 2020, a group of parents of patients aged 13 and younger were provided with written guides for taking intraoral photos at home. The photos showed high sensitivity and specificity, meaning they were incredibly accurate in diagnosing caries in the children. This technology could be the start of a new digital era, having the potential to expand dental care access across underserved regions in the US.
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