1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,990 Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 2 00:00:04,370 --> 00:00:08,710 Thanks for listening. I'm Eric Carbahol, and today we're joined by Dr. 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,790 Terry Dolan. Dr. Dolan is the Chief Dental Officer at Overjet. Dr. 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:15,710 Dolan, thank you so much for being on today. 5 00:00:16,410 --> 00:00:17,870 Oh, thank you. It's my great pleasure. 6 00:00:18,710 --> 00:00:19,543 Absolutely. 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,780 Can you share just a bit more about your role and background before we get 8 00:00:23,780 --> 00:00:24,613 started here? 9 00:00:25,230 --> 00:00:28,380 Absolutely. So as the Chief Dental Officer at Overjet, 10 00:00:28,380 --> 00:00:33,260 I've been in this role for a little over a year, and, um, I provide, uh, 11 00:00:33,620 --> 00:00:36,500 clinical leadership, uh, to our Overjet team. We have a, 12 00:00:36,860 --> 00:00:39,100 a fairly large clinical team, uh, 13 00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:43,580 that works with our multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists and 14 00:00:43,830 --> 00:00:46,660 sales and marketing, uh, individuals. Uh, 15 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,260 and we all work together to develop these really innovative products that, uh, 16 00:00:51,470 --> 00:00:54,380 serve both, both our payer and provider communities. 17 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,370 Yeah, super interesting background and role. 18 00:00:58,550 --> 00:01:02,090 So excited to be talking about AI and dentistry today. 19 00:01:02,350 --> 00:01:05,650 So just to kind of, you know, open up the conversation, 20 00:01:05,650 --> 00:01:10,330 give us an overview of how artificial intelligence is being used in dentistry 21 00:01:10,330 --> 00:01:11,163 today. 22 00:01:12,110 --> 00:01:16,980 Absolutely. So we, we sometimes think that this AI or artificial, um, 23 00:01:17,180 --> 00:01:21,220 intelligence is new to dentistry when in fact it's been used, uh, 24 00:01:21,220 --> 00:01:25,940 for quite a long time, and probably behind the scenes without people really, um, 25 00:01:26,070 --> 00:01:27,180 being that aware of it. 26 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,580 So if I think about some common examples of how it's been used for a while, 27 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,900 we think about cadcam or digital dentistry and digital dentistry workflows where 28 00:01:36,900 --> 00:01:41,060 we've used technology to scan, um, uh, teeth and, 29 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,980 and to fabricate, uh, crowns and bridges, uh, 30 00:01:45,570 --> 00:01:48,300 milling crowns and bridges. All of that work, uh, 31 00:01:48,300 --> 00:01:50,700 behind the scenes is supported by, uh, 32 00:01:50,700 --> 00:01:55,540 very sophisticated technology that uses AI and crown design. Um, 33 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,700 if I think about, um, aligner therapy for orthodontic treatment, same idea. 34 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,660 It takes lots of data points that are collected as part of a clinical 35 00:02:04,810 --> 00:02:07,860 examination and then uses that data to, uh, 36 00:02:07,860 --> 00:02:12,700 predict where tooth movement as part of orthodontics and all of that underpins, 37 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,780 um, the orthodontic aligner treatment planning. Um, 38 00:02:16,780 --> 00:02:21,020 we think about p patient scheduling and patient management, and again, 39 00:02:21,340 --> 00:02:25,380 a lot of that, uh, takes into account lots of data, aggregates it, 40 00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:28,660 analyzes it and helps our front offices, uh, 41 00:02:28,660 --> 00:02:30,900 do their work more efficiently and effectively. 42 00:02:32,230 --> 00:02:33,850 So when I think about overjet, 43 00:02:33,870 --> 00:02:38,810 the real opportunity with Overjet is that it helps our clinical teams 44 00:02:39,870 --> 00:02:44,130 use their diagnostic information that we see in our 2D 45 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,730 radiographs and collects that information, uh, from practice management systems, 46 00:02:49,220 --> 00:02:51,410 integrates it for us, uh, 47 00:02:51,490 --> 00:02:56,370 displays clinical findings in a way that makes it easier for the clinicians and 48 00:02:56,370 --> 00:03:00,080 the dental team to be more accurate, precise, efficient, 49 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:03,520 and patient-centric in the way they diagnose care. 50 00:03:04,140 --> 00:03:07,960 And so there's really lots of exciting different applications, um, 51 00:03:08,180 --> 00:03:10,400 in dentistry and, and I think, um, you know, 52 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,200 this is just the beginning and I would expect to see a lot of more, 53 00:03:14,350 --> 00:03:17,240 even more interesting, uh, applications moving forward. 54 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,130 Yeah, some really interesting points there. 55 00:03:21,150 --> 00:03:25,930 And it's so many uses of AI already that we might not traditionally have 56 00:03:25,930 --> 00:03:29,530 thought about as, as being ai, especially, you know, around, 57 00:03:29,850 --> 00:03:33,290 I know you mentioned aligners for orthodontic treatment and, um, 58 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:38,330 patient scheduling of course as well, but lots of uses already. And Dr. 59 00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:42,090 Dolan next. Can you talk about any of the misconceptions that, 60 00:03:42,090 --> 00:03:45,490 that you might hear around AI or AI and dentistry? 61 00:03:46,470 --> 00:03:50,360 Well, so as you know, there's lots of discussion about ai. It's, uh, 62 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,920 especially with the launch of chat G P T and, uh, 63 00:03:52,930 --> 00:03:56,400 generative AI technologies that, uh, it, 64 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,000 it's gotten lots of media coverage and lots of, uh, 65 00:04:00,030 --> 00:04:03,760 conversations in lots of communities, the academic education community, 66 00:04:03,820 --> 00:04:07,760 the clinical practice community. Um, and so, uh, 67 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:11,400 of course dentists might be thinking, well, you know, how does this impact me? 68 00:04:11,580 --> 00:04:12,960 And in my work, 69 00:04:13,180 --> 00:04:17,920 and probably one of the biggest misconceptions is that overjet or other 70 00:04:18,060 --> 00:04:21,360 AI tools will put dentists or the dental team members outta work, 71 00:04:21,410 --> 00:04:25,640 which we know is certainly not true. Um, in fact, um, 72 00:04:25,660 --> 00:04:27,320 the positive side of, uh, 73 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:32,040 using these technologies is that it can really make our work more efficient, um, 74 00:04:32,100 --> 00:04:34,480 easier, more fun. Um, 75 00:04:34,540 --> 00:04:39,160 and so there's lots of positive outcomes, uh, from the adoption of technology. 76 00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:43,120 But I do think dentists worry a little bit about, you know, 77 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,200 will this put me out of work? Um, 78 00:04:45,340 --> 00:04:48,040 the American Dental Association's been paying attention to that, 79 00:04:48,140 --> 00:04:51,840 and so they've made a really important distinction, you know, 80 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:55,840 what's the difference between artificial intelligence and maybe what we would 81 00:04:55,870 --> 00:05:00,560 call augmented intelligence? And so in this case, AI isn't, 82 00:05:00,740 --> 00:05:03,920 is not a replacement for dental professionals, um, 83 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:08,520 but rather it's a tool or technology that enhances our skills and abilities. 84 00:05:09,100 --> 00:05:11,760 And so I think that's a common misconception, 85 00:05:12,180 --> 00:05:16,480 and we work hard at Overjet to make sure that that distinction is clear. 86 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:18,920 Sure. 87 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,450 Such a critical distinction and one that we're hearing more and more industries, 88 00:05:22,950 --> 00:05:27,050 um, or, you know, groups such as the American Dental Association come out and, 89 00:05:27,050 --> 00:05:31,370 and, and, you know, sort of ease some of the, some of the concerns around that. 90 00:05:32,090 --> 00:05:36,350 And Dr. Dolan, I know you work with a lot of dental schools, so how are they, 91 00:05:36,450 --> 00:05:38,350 how are you seeing them prepare for the FU future? 92 00:05:39,430 --> 00:05:42,320 Yeah, thank you for asking, and I didn't mention this in my background, 93 00:05:42,380 --> 00:05:46,000 but before joining overjet, um, I spent 24 years, um, 94 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,320 working at the University of Florida College of Dentistry as a professor and 95 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:55,240 then, uh, later as dean of the college. And so, um, dental schools, 96 00:05:55,580 --> 00:06:00,080 um, are working hard always to stay up with the latest technology and of course, 97 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,040 working to offer the best education to their dental students. 98 00:06:04,660 --> 00:06:05,760 And so, uh, 99 00:06:05,790 --> 00:06:10,600 many universities in general have campus-wide initiatives exploring ai, 100 00:06:10,820 --> 00:06:14,720 uh, in a multi-disciplinary way. So their colleges of engineering or, 101 00:06:15,060 --> 00:06:19,880 or medicine, uh, science in general are, are really, um, 102 00:06:19,890 --> 00:06:24,360 doing good important scientific and ethical work, um, uh, 103 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:29,240 looking at AI technologies. Um, but dental schools in particular, um, 104 00:06:29,460 --> 00:06:32,480 you know, are facing some challenges, uh, these days. I mean, 105 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:37,040 the impact of C O V I D on their ability to provide a robust, um, 106 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,240 clinical education for their students, uh, faculty shortages, 107 00:06:41,340 --> 00:06:44,240 all of these things challenge dental schools. 108 00:06:44,460 --> 00:06:47,800 And so many of them are looking at new ways to, uh, 109 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,160 integrate technology in a way that either supports, um, 110 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,160 the clinical education for their students, uh, maybe, uh, 111 00:06:55,260 --> 00:06:59,600 allows them to use faculty time and, and, uh, expertise in different ways. 112 00:07:00,220 --> 00:07:04,760 And so I think about, uh, some new schools that are opening up that are clearly, 113 00:07:05,260 --> 00:07:09,600 um, focused on how to best integrate technology, um, including, uh, 114 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:14,240 over jet's technology, uh, into their clinical programs, how to use it, 115 00:07:14,540 --> 00:07:18,160 um, in, in their teaching programs. Uh, we have a, 116 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,000 a pilot going on right now at the University of Florida College of Dentistry, 117 00:07:22,090 --> 00:07:25,920 which has been really interesting to me where we are, uh, 118 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:30,600 giving students the opportunity to, um, use our AI technology. 119 00:07:30,830 --> 00:07:35,320 They look at dental X-rays with and without the assisted 120 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,600 technology, and we're finding that, uh, one, 121 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,640 they adjust really well and they really like using the technology. And two, 122 00:07:43,140 --> 00:07:45,280 by having that digital assist and, 123 00:07:45,380 --> 00:07:48,880 and training their eye to look for common clinical findings, 124 00:07:49,110 --> 00:07:52,040 they're actually learning faster and more effectively. 125 00:07:52,620 --> 00:07:56,680 So I think there's lots of interesting opportunities to, uh, 126 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,120 continue to, uh, integrate technology, uh, 127 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,440 including over jed's technology into the dental curriculum, 128 00:08:03,580 --> 00:08:07,080 the student's educational experience to really, uh, you know, 129 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,800 with the goal of course of graduating the most competent, uh, well-prepared, uh, 130 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,680 dentists and dental hygiene students, uh, to go out in the workforce and, 131 00:08:15,860 --> 00:08:18,120 and provide high quality care to their patients. 132 00:08:20,330 --> 00:08:22,620 Yeah, some really interesting uses or with that, 133 00:08:22,620 --> 00:08:26,140 that pilot program at the University of Florida, it's interesting to hear how, 134 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:27,420 how, you know, 135 00:08:27,420 --> 00:08:31,100 dental students are gonna be learning now and really just sounds like so many 136 00:08:31,100 --> 00:08:36,060 opportunities for flexibility when it comes to clinical training and freeing 137 00:08:36,060 --> 00:08:41,000 up faculty to do different things. So thanks for sharing all that. And Dr. 138 00:08:41,130 --> 00:08:41,520 Dolan, 139 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,840 I know you were recently invited by the C D C to contribute to a discussion 140 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:50,080 about dental medical integration. So is is that the next frontier? 141 00:08:52,060 --> 00:08:56,640 Yeah, I'd say absolutely. Although when I think about it, I mean, 142 00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:01,160 my education, uh, started at the University of Pennsylvania, you know, almost, 143 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:04,880 uh, like 40 years ago. And even at that time, well, 144 00:09:04,910 --> 00:09:09,360 ingrained in the dental school curriculum was the importance of oral health to 145 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:10,560 overall health and wellbeing. 146 00:09:10,780 --> 00:09:15,560 So in some ways I think that this is not a new concept. And, you know, 147 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:16,360 I think, uh, 148 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:20,680 dentists and dental hygiene students have been educated to that importance, 149 00:09:20,860 --> 00:09:24,520 you know, you know, for many, many, many years. But, um, 150 00:09:24,620 --> 00:09:29,360 we know that our healthcare systems kind of operate in independent silos. 151 00:09:29,860 --> 00:09:31,600 And I think with technologies, 152 00:09:31,820 --> 00:09:36,760 we are now appreciating the opportunity to better integrate patient data, 153 00:09:36,980 --> 00:09:37,320 you know, 154 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:42,320 whether it's someone's level of inflammation or gum disease in 155 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:47,000 their mouth with say, diabetes and, uh, how well controlled their, 156 00:09:47,260 --> 00:09:50,520 um, glycemic levels are. Um, because this, 157 00:09:50,850 --> 00:09:54,560 these data now exists in electronic health records, 158 00:09:55,210 --> 00:10:00,120 there really is an opportunity to better integrate that data and to take a more 159 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,160 holistic view of a person's health and then, um, 160 00:10:04,420 --> 00:10:08,120 and then work more closely so that if I have a patient, 161 00:10:08,340 --> 00:10:11,480 say in my dental chair who has, uh, 162 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,720 chronic inflammatory processes and, and I know they're a diabetic, 163 00:10:16,580 --> 00:10:20,560 um, I can work with their, um, physician providers, uh, 164 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:24,920 their medical providers, and we can work together to see, you know, maybe if, 165 00:10:25,060 --> 00:10:27,160 uh, I provided some peritoneal therapy, 166 00:10:27,300 --> 00:10:31,240 did some scaling and relining some patient education, uh, 167 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:32,520 to improve their oral health, 168 00:10:32,990 --> 00:10:37,960 most likely that's gonna result in better glycemic control and less 169 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,200 complications related to diabetes. So I, and, 170 00:10:41,220 --> 00:10:45,440 and now that we have more integrated healthcare systems, um, and, you know, 171 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,760 this is a constant evolution, but I do see that this is where, um, 172 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:54,600 healthcare delivery is headed, uh, that's more patient center centric, more, uh, 173 00:10:54,610 --> 00:10:55,443 integrated. 174 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:00,160 I think there's a much better opportunity for the medical and dental teams and 175 00:11:00,380 --> 00:11:05,320 to really take a whole health perspective and provide care that really 176 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,480 benefits the patient in a, in a more holistic fashion. 177 00:11:10,530 --> 00:11:13,950 And Dr. Dolan, I am glad you mentioned that because I think it's such a, 178 00:11:14,030 --> 00:11:18,910 a critical part of the discussion in terms of how do we actually start 179 00:11:18,930 --> 00:11:23,030 to integrate and work better together, not operate in silos when it comes to, 180 00:11:23,330 --> 00:11:25,790 you know, dental and, and overall health, 181 00:11:25,790 --> 00:11:29,430 because we continue to see so many studies and there is such a recognition of 182 00:11:29,690 --> 00:11:32,910 the importance of oral health on someone's overall wellbeing and, 183 00:11:32,910 --> 00:11:37,270 and the rest of, of their health. So such a, such a critical component there. 184 00:11:38,190 --> 00:11:41,690 And for a dentist or dental group that's starting to think about ai, 185 00:11:42,190 --> 00:11:44,810 do you have any, any advice or thoughts for them? 186 00:11:46,130 --> 00:11:50,860 Yeah, yeah, I have a, a few thoughts. Um, you know, one, you know, I hope, uh, 187 00:11:50,860 --> 00:11:53,840 the fun part of being a health professional is that, you know, 188 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:58,520 we should have this curious mind, this commitment to continuous learning. 189 00:11:58,700 --> 00:12:02,800 And, and I would just say stay current on not just the dental science, 190 00:12:02,980 --> 00:12:06,520 but all the new technologies and products that are coming to the marketplace. 191 00:12:07,220 --> 00:12:12,160 Um, I've never seen so many transformational changes impacting 192 00:12:12,270 --> 00:12:15,880 dentistry in general, you know, say in the past five to 10 years, 193 00:12:16,140 --> 00:12:19,440 as in the first, you know, 20 to 30 years of my career. 194 00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:24,240 So it's really an exciting time to be in dentistry. And, and then I'd say don't, 195 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:27,320 you know, be open-minded. Don't be afraid of the technologies, 196 00:12:27,620 --> 00:12:29,320 be informed about the technologies. 197 00:12:29,670 --> 00:12:33,400 There's some really fun and cool stuff out there. And, you know, 198 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,000 and we do have to critically assess how it's gonna impact us, 199 00:12:37,220 --> 00:12:39,240 our ability to provide better quality care, 200 00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:42,080 how it can impact and benefit our patients. 201 00:12:42,620 --> 00:12:46,000 But there's lots of opportunities to make our work life better, easier, 202 00:12:46,070 --> 00:12:47,640 more enjoyable, more fun, 203 00:12:47,830 --> 00:12:52,200 less eye strain because we have computer vision helping us, uh, 204 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,760 making sure we're accurately and precisely, um, 205 00:12:56,370 --> 00:13:00,280 diagnosing common clinical findings on radiographs, for example. 206 00:13:00,580 --> 00:13:04,880 So all of that can really make our lives better and more interesting. 207 00:13:05,260 --> 00:13:10,080 So I would just encourage people to explore the opportunities to use AI to 208 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:14,680 improve patient care, uh, improve care delivery, um, and, 209 00:13:14,740 --> 00:13:18,960 and really harness the power of the data that we collect every day, uh, 210 00:13:18,980 --> 00:13:22,520 for those purposes. And maybe the last thing I'd say is, you know, 211 00:13:22,590 --> 00:13:27,520 take advantage, um, over jet other companies offer the opportunity to, 212 00:13:28,100 --> 00:13:32,800 uh, demo, you know, learn, see a demo of the, of our various products, 213 00:13:33,220 --> 00:13:37,000 um, and so be an educated consumer and really explore the, 214 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,000 those opportunities and the potential. 215 00:13:40,790 --> 00:13:44,650 Dr. Dolan, it's been a pleasure having you on. Really enjoyed your thoughtful, 216 00:13:44,650 --> 00:13:46,210 engaging conversation today. 217 00:13:47,630 --> 00:13:51,250 Oh, thank you. It's been my great pleasure. And on behalf of the Overjet team, 218 00:13:51,250 --> 00:13:53,330 thanks so much for the opportunity to speak with you. 219 00:13:54,380 --> 00:13:58,750 Yeah. And we also wanted to thank the podcast sponsor, overjet and listeners. 220 00:13:58,850 --> 00:14:02,750 You can tune in to more podcasts on our site by visiting becker 221 00:14:02,750 --> 00:14:05,230 healthcare.com/podcasts.