The Center for Innovation and Translation at University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry is partnering with the company OraQ AI to launch a research project to explore the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry, starting with a focus on enhancing consistency in clinical decision-making among dental faculty.

The primary goal of the study spearheaded by the Center for Innovation and Translation is to evaluate how well the OraQ™ AI-driven software improves agreement levels among faculty clinicians at the Dugoni School. OraQ™ is designed to assist in treatment assessment, risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning, with the goal of increasing consistency and accuracy in clinical decisions.

According to the project leaders, consistency in decision-making is essential for ensuring uniform patient care, improving treatment outcomes and standardizing the teaching and learning process. However, traditional methods used by faculty for making decisions often struggle to achieve high levels of agreement. The study compares these traditional methods with AI-assisted ones, specifically using OraQ™, to see if AI can help make clinical decisions more consistent and accurate, ultimately improving faculty calibration.

“This partnership with OraQ AI marks an important step toward integrating AI into dental education and clinical practice at the Dugoni School of Dentistry,” said Rebecca Moazzez, BDS, MSc, PhD, FDSRCS, MRD, chair of the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry and director of the school’s Center for Innovation and Translation, which is playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and fostering collaboration between industry and academia.

“This work supports a forward-thinking approach to dental education, encouraging faculty, students and residents to explore and adopt new technology to support precision care and improved patient engagement,” she added.

To launch the partnership, OraQ AI CEO & Founder Dr. Amreesh Khanna recently gave a lecture on the integration of AI in dentistry to students and faculty at the Dugoni School, discussing how advancements in AI and technology, including tools like ChatGPT, are reshaping patient care. The session also emphasized AI’s role in comprehensive health evaluations, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and creating holistic treatment strategies.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with a leader in innovation and dental education,” said Dr. Amreesh Khanna, CEO & Founder of OraQ AI. “Incorporating AI support is definitely going to play a major role in the future of patient care. Utilizing AI technology ethically to drive precision care will allow optimal outcomes for patients. This research partnership and project is the first in paving the way to bringing this technology to students, faculty, dentist alumni and patients and ensuring it drives what's best for the patient while growing healthy dental practices of the future.”

While this first project from the partnership with OraQ AI focuses on faculty, there is potential to expand future research to include students and alumni.