A company called Overjet is using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse and annotate dental X-rays, to allow dentists to provide more comprehensive treatments for their patients. Given the same dental X-rays, dentists can suggest different treatments. Hospital radiologists are specialists who spend hours pouring over X-rays to make a diagnosis. By contrast, dentists have to analyse X-rays in bright rooms, using computers that are not specialised for radiography. The diagnosis is often performed with the patient sitting right next to them. Overjet aims to remove the subjectivity out of dental X-ray interpretation, in order to improve patient care. Co-founder of Overjet, Wardah Inam says, “It’s about moving toward more precision medicine, where we have the right treatments at the right time. That’s where technology can help. Once we quantify the disease, we can make it very easy to recommend the right treatment.”
Overjet has received clearance by the FDA to outline cavities and aid in the diagnosis of periodontal disease by quantifying bone levels. Periodontal disease is a common but preventable gum infection that causes the deterioration of the jawbone and other tissues that support the teeth. The software is designed to allow dentists to present patients with the problems they are facing, and explain why certain treatments are being recommended. The software is already being used by dental practices and insurance companies. Inam says, “I felt technology could play a big role in not only enhancing the diagnosis but also to communicate with the patients more effectively so they understand and don’t have to go through the confusing process I did of wondering who’s right. Our mission at Overjet is to improve oral health by creating a future that is clinically precise, efficient, and patient-centric.”
Originally, Overjet began as a tool for insurance companies to streamline dental claims, and then jumped straight into the dental practices. The analyses provides dentists with detailed information. Inam says, “Now the dentist or hygienist just has to synthesise that information, and they use the software to communicate with you. So, they’ll show you the X-rays with Overjet’s annotations and say, ‘You have four millimeters of bone loss, it’s in red, that’s higher than the 3 millimeters you had last time you came, so I’m recommending this treatment.”
Overjet tracks the progression of disease on individual patients, helping dentists determine when a disease is progressing rapidly. Inam says, “We’ve seen cases where a cancer patient with dry mouth goes from nothing to something extremely bad in six months between visits, so those patients should probably come to the dentist more often. It’s all about using data to change how we practice care, think about plans, and offer services to different types of patients.”
While Overjet has already become an integral part of dental practices, they aim to go further with the artificial intelligence, leveraging the vast amounts of data they are processing. Inam says, “These radiographs have been digitized for a while, but they’ve never been utilized because the computers couldn’t read them. Overjet is turning unstructured data into data that we can analyze. Right now, we’re building the basic infrastructure. Eventually we want to grow the platform to improve any service the practice can provide, basically becoming the operating system of the practice to help providers do their job more effectively.”
