Defining Future Applications for Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry

Leaders from across the dental industry have announced the formation of the Dental AI Council (DAIC), an organization devoted to helping define the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry. Representing all major industry stakeholders, the founding members include practitioners, dental service organizations, equipment manufacturers, software providers, insurance carriers, laboratories, and universities—including the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry and University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

The council’s primary function is to lead independent research into the ways in which AI will prove most valuable to dentistry. It will also seek to validate the technology’s functional capabilities and performance, and answer fundamental questions related to AI’s role in oral healthcare.

“At present, the excitement about AI’s enormous potential in dentistry is attenuated by misconceptions and even fear,” notes one of the group’s organizers, Ophir Tanz, CEO of the dental AI company Pearl. “To chart a path forward, the dental community needs to understand the science surrounding AI.” Toward that end, the first DAIC study is scheduled to be released later this year.