More DSOs are adding artificial intelligence and salivary diagnostic technology to enhance patient care.
Here is how the two technologies have evolved and grown in popularity this year:
Artificial intelligence
Many industry executives expect dentistry to lead the overall healthcare industry in the use and innovation of artificial intelligence as dentists and DSOs flock to this technology.
The increased potential of AI has led to many innovations this year. Dental AI company Overjet recently launched its DSO analytics suite, a first-of-its-kind technology that analyzes data from patient visits to help DSOs track, benchmark and optimize care across their networks.
The American National Standards Institute and the American Dental Association proposed the first national standard for the use of this technology in dentistry in August, covering the annotation and collection of data from 2D radiographs for clinical decision-making. The draft is available for comment until Sept. 25.
The University of Maryland School of Dentistry also created a research division aimed at expanding the potential of AI in oral and maxillofacial medicine, pathology and radiology through data mining and collaboration. Researchers in the division are also working to build AI models that can explain the process behind the decisions they make.
Salivary diagnostics
Several DSOs are championing the use of saliva testing to set a new standard for oral healthcare.
The development of rapid tests during the COVID-19 pandemic fueled interest in salivary diagnostic tests, according to the American Dental Association. These tests are being examined for their effectiveness at screening patients for oral or systemic diseases, monitoring infections, detecting drugs and evaluating endocrine disorders and cancer risk.
Dental365, for example, is using SalivaScore to detect tissue breakdown and destruction around teeth and implants. The DSO has begun to train its doctors as oral physicians with the new tool, believing that salivary testing will explode in growth as more patients realize the link between oral health and overall wellbeing.
Dan Burke, the chief enterprise strategy officer at PDS Health, said patients will soon recognize saliva as "the new blood."
Other organizations are taking notice of this new technology as well. Avesis, a dental and vision insurance company, launched a partnership with the Harmony Health Foundation earlier this year to provide salivary diagnostic services to patients with special needs.
Oral Genome, a salivary diagnostics developer, is also partnering with Global Group to combat oral health disparities worldwide. Through this pilot initiative, the companies will deploy Oral Genome's salivary test kit in regions that traditionally lack adequate care, including in the U.S., EMEA, South Asia and Central Asia.