I really can’t consume any media these days without hearing about artificial intelligence. It seems like every podcast I listen to is talking about DALL-E or ChatGPT. Every news show on cable is talking about the existential risks that artificial intelligence poses. I am not qualified to talk about AI becoming sentient and what that means for the future of humanity. I am not here to warn about what AI can do to academic integrity in high school and college. I can, however, talk about how it has affected my dental practice.
I recently wrote about Pearl AI and its radiographic interpretation program Second Opinion. It has enabled me to read radiographs quickly and efficiently and hopefully not miss anything that I might have missed otherwise.
Another of Pearl AI’s offerings is Practice Intelligence. While Second Opinion is focused solely on the clinical aspect of radiographic interpretation, Practice Intelligence works on practice data to give you insights into your patients’ dental needs and ways to work efficiently and increase profitability.
More Pearls:
MI Paste One Perio by GC America
Occluzinator Zirconia Adjuster/Sculptor burs by Strauss Diamond
Practice Intelligence integrates with your practice management system and pulls patient data from your schedule. It analyzes this data for things like diagnosed treatment that hasn’t been scheduled. It also communicates with Second Opinion to give a rundown of opportunities that the AI observed radiographically that could provide production for the practice.
In addition to that schedule rundown with notations on production opportunities, it gives a more 10,000-foot view of the data from your practice for analysis. It provides data such as what percentage of your practice production comes from the various disciplines of dentistry, what percentage of your patients may need scaling procedures based on radiographic data, and what percentage of that has been scheduled or completed. You could sift through this data for hours finding numerous key insights into your practice.
With the data that Practice Intelligence provides, you can find hidden opportunities in your schedule daily. And those little things like finding out a patient is eligible for an FMX versus four bitewings can make a big difference. It may not seem like much of a difference on that one patient. What is that really worth—an extra $45? But it isn’t about the one time you get that $45. It’s about all the opportunities you and your team can find throughout the year. Those add up to big changes—ones that can really transform your practice!
Editor's note: This article appeared in the June 2023 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
