With artificial intelligence still getting its feet wet in the dental industry, DSOs and dental groups are looking at all the possibilities for use.
From the clinical aspect to the business and operations side, each dental company uses AI differently.
Executives and leaders from three DSOs and dental groups recently connected with Becker’s to share the ways that they see AI being fruitful and impactful at their organizations in the present and going forward.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Andrew De La Rosa, DMD. Vice President of Clinical Support at Aspen Dental (Chicago): On the clinical side, it’s the same thing, when it comes to AI carries detection or RCM, there’s broader applications for AI almost everywhere. That’s why we have an AI team. We’re constantly digging in and just trying to hedge our bets in the right direction when it comes to AI.
We have a flagship location that’s in our headquarters here, where we test like crazy, and we’ve been piloting and testing so many different AI platforms right now. It’s going to be a game changer, and I can’t wait to see what comes out in the next six months to a year. What we’re rolling out organizationally should be really impactful.
Phil Cassis. Co-founder and CEO at Providence Dental Partners (Atlanta): Right now, there are so many advancements, both from a clinical and a business standpoint, around some of the AI that’s coming up that ties into clinical with different diagnosis technologies out there, helping us provide our dentists and providers second opinions. Also, when it comes to marketing [and] revenue cycle management, it’s helping us operate more effectively and efficiently. It’s important for us to always be looking inside the industry, but [also] outside the industry as to what others might be doing to operate at a better level. AI is very progressive right now. It’s come a long way just in the last two or three years. I think we’re going to see it accelerate even more over the next 12 months, so I’m really excited to see what they do there.
Paul Reda. CEO of North American Dental Group (Pittsburgh): [Artificial intelligence] is very popular, and you hear it everywhere now. I think it’s a great support tool in dentistry. The reason we put Overjet at all of our practices is it helps us build trust with our patients. You always do the right thing no matter what. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always cheap, but you do the right thing. By having Overjet, [patients] can see their teeth. It’s right there on a big screen in front of them, and that starts an easy conversation with the provider to build trust. Ultimately, people choose their dentist based on, do you take my insurance, and do I trust you? We want to really establish that trust. We’re really trying to build that trust and use that technology.