SOTA’s Dental Imaging Software Gets Pearl’s AI Pathology Detection Capabilities

 Pearl and SOTA have partnered to offer native support for Pearl’s industry-leading, FDA-cleared radiologic AI solution Second Opinion® within the SOTA Cloud® software platform. SOTA Cloud® will be the first dental imaging software in the United States to offer a fully-integrated clinical AI feature set.

Pearl, the global leader in dental AI solutions, and SOTA Imaging, the leading manufacturer of dental imaging hardware and software, announced today a partnership to integrate Pearl’s FDA-cleared Second Opinion® real-time clinical pathology detection artificial intelligence (AI) solution with SOTA’s popular SOTA Cloud® dental imaging software. Native support for Pearl’s chairside AI within SOTA’s cloud-based imaging interface means that, for the first time, dentists in the United States can conveniently capture, display, and perform AI-assisted clinical evaluation of dental radiographs within a single software platform.

"Together with SOTA, we are pushing the envelope of dental imaging further toward a fully AI-powered dental future,” said Ophir Tanz, Pearl’s founder and CEO. “AI will be a basic utility in dentistry, and we see obvious advantages to making that utility an integral feature of the tools that dentists are already using. Through this partnership, dentists using SOTA Cloud® can seamlessly access Pearl’s AI capabilities to obtain better, more consistent insights from patient imagery and present cases to patients more effectively –– leading to better outcomes, a higher standard of care and more productive patient communication."

Pearl’s Second Opinion® is a clinical AI system cleared for use as a patient-facing radiologic aid to dentists in over 90 countries. With native Second Opinion® integration, dental practices using SOTA Cloud® –– the robust cloud-based dental imaging software which SOTA introduced last year to complement its line of state-of-the-art intraoral cameras and X-ray image sensors –– can view automatic AI detections of most conditions commonly found in dental x-rays.

“Understanding the needs of clinicians and ensuring that dentists are able to focus solely on providing the best possible patient care has always been the top priority when developing our software,” said SOTA founder and president Brian Kim. “Our partnership with Pearl speaks directly to that focus by giving practices using SOTA Cloud® push-button access to the most innovative AI technology available for streamlined patient communication and improved image-based diagnostic evaluations.”

To register for SOTA Cloud® with fully-integrated AI capabilities, visit: https://info.sotaimaging.com/sotaxpearlpartnership

To learn more about Pearl’s Second Opinion®, visit: www.hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion.

To learn more about SOTA Cloud®, visit: www.sotaimaging.com/sota-cloud/

About Pearl

Pearl is shaping the future of dental care by delivering AI and computer vision solutions that advance efficiency, accuracy, transparency and patient care. Founded in 2019 by Ophir Tanz, Pearl is backed by Craft Ventures and other leading venture capital firms. For more information or to request a demonstration, please visit https://www.hellopearl.com.

About SOTA

SOTA Imaging is a leading manufacturer of dental imaging hardware and software since 1987. SOTA Imaging solutions include Clio Prime & Clio Pedo digital x-ray sensors, the Claris i5HD intraoral camera, SOTA Image and SOTA Cloud dental imaging software, and aerosol reduction solutions, including the Cazoo Extraoral Aerosol Evacuator. Contact SOTA at (888) 266-7682, sales@sotaimaging.com, or sotaimaging.com.

OraCare Names Kristin Goodfellow RDH as Chief Clinical Officer

 

Hygienist, Thought Leader, and Educator Assumes Expanded Role to Further OraCare’s Growth and Mission 

OraCare is excited to name Kristin Goodfellow, RDH to the position of Chief Clinical Officer. OraCare was founded in 2009, by three dentists seeking to improve the standard of care in dentistry, patient hygiene, and overall oral health. Goodfellow became the company’s first full-time employee in 2015, and has been instrumental in driving rapid growth and industry leadership. 

“Kristin first started working in one of my practices as a dental hygienist, and early on, I noticed the take-charge attitude, humor, and positive influence she brought to the clinical department. My team knew she had enormous potential to help shape the trajectory of the brand,” said CEO Dr. Robert Martino who also owns and operates seven dental practices in West Virginia. “In the last several years, Kristin has become the public face of the company. She impresses us daily with her clinical knowledge and her drive to make impactful changes on the industry and has been instrumental in helping OraCare achieve rapid growth.”

Originally, from Pennsylvania, Goodfellow now calls the mountain state of West Virginia home. She graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies, then continued on to Allegany College of Maryland where she completed her degree in Dental Hygiene. During her hygiene program, Goodfellow was recognized with the Proctor & Gamble Preventative Dentistry Award, for her outstanding patient communications skills. “I’m so proud of what the OraCare team has accomplished and am honored to assume the Chief Clinical Officer role,” said Goodfellow. “It’s mind blowing to consider where we come from over the last seven years and just how many practices and patients we have touched in that time.” 

In addition to her responsibilities at OraCare, Goodfellow is an educator and hygiene thought leader. She has been a contributing author to many dental industry publications and is an accomplished speaker having presented at numerous national conferences and continuing education events. She currently holds positions on the RDH editorial advisory board and is a member of the Cellerant Best of Class Hygiene panel. 

“Increasing the standard of care is the core of OraCare. Kristin is a true advocate of this, whether she’s working with provider practices or delivering one-on-one patient care,” said Dr. Martino. “She’s the obvious choice for our Chief Clinical Officer role which expands her responsibilities, reach, and impact in driving OraCare’s mission of improving dental hygiene and oral health.”

About OraCare

OraCare products are dedicated to raising the standard of care in dentistry through the

development, production, and delivery of revolutionary products. Our unique partnership

with the dental community is built upon the promise that you can only find our products

in the dental office setting. Each product in our line is backed by real science and

centered around the ingredient-activated chlorine dioxide. Our company was founded

for dental professionals by dental professionals, so we understand the doctor-patient dynamic. All of our products reflect a commitment to creating better patient health and advancing the dental profession in partnership with our providers. 

Congrats to my Friend Dr. Cesar Sabates as he Wraps Up His ADA Presidency!!!

 

I've mentioned him here before, but I want to give him one more round of applause.  My good friend and classmate Dr. Cesar Sabates is wrapping up his term as president of the ADA and I am so proud of him!  He has worked tirelessly for the profession over his career and it is amazing to think that he made it to the pinnacle of organized dentistry.  He took over the job when the world was still rapidly changing due to the pandemic and he's managed to steer the profession into better times.  Here is a write up about him that appeared in the ADA News as Dr. Sabates kicked off the SmileCon meeting in Houston last week...

Houston — SmileCon 2022 got off to a roaring start on Oct. 13 with thousands of dentists and dental team members celebrating the profession.

"This meeting is a great example of the Power of 3," said ADA President Cesar R. Sabates, D.D.S., in opening remarks in the George R. Brown Convention Center. "Local, state and national societies coming together with one shared purpose: for our communities and celebrating each other.”

SmileCon 2022 is a joint meeting with the 2022 Texas Dental Association Meeting and the 2023 Greater Houston Dental Society's Star of the South Dental Meeting.

"I hope that your SmileCon experience gives you the feeling of being inspired and more connected than ever before,” Dr. Sabates said. “Because if there's one thing I want you to remember it’s this: You belong to something big. Whether you're caring for a patient in your chair or meeting a student during office hours or working with materials in a lab, your work has an impact on the overall health and wellbeing of our communities."

Ransomware Attack Hits CommonSpirit Health

 As a reminder to all the dentists out there who read this blog every day, you have to be vigilant and take cyber security seriously.  Attacks are happening all too frequently and can be devastating.  Here is the statement from hospital system CommonSpirit Health...  For the full response, follow this link.

We have been managing a response to a cyberattack that has impacted some of our facilities. Patients continue to receive the highest quality of care, and we are providing relevant updates on the ongoing situation to our patients, employees, and caregivers. Patient care remains our utmost priority and we apologize for any inconvenience this matter has created. 

As previously shared, upon discovering the ransomware attack, we took immediate steps to protect our systems, contain the incident, begin an investigation, and ensure continuity of care. Our facilities are following existing protocols, which includes taking certain systems offline, such as electronic health records and patient portals. In addition, we are taking steps to mitigate the  disruption and maintain continuity of care. To further assist and support our team in the  investigation and response process, we engaged leading cybersecurity specialists and notified  law enforcement. 

We continue to conduct a thorough forensics investigation and review of our systems and will also seek to determine if there are any data impacts as part of that process.  

There is no impact to clinic, patient care and associated systems at Dignity Health, Virginia Mason Medical Center, TriHealth or Centura Health facilities. For the other parts of our health system that have seen impacts on operations, we are working diligently every day to bring systems online and restore full functionality as quickly and safely as possible.  

Central to our decision-making has been and will continue to be our ability to carry out our mission in a manner that is safe and effective to those we serve. At CommonSpirit Health, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of the communities we serve and are guided by our core set of values, which include integrity, excellence, and collaboration. We are grateful to our staff and  physicians who are doing everything possible to mitigate the impact to our patients and ensure continuity of care. 

Orascoptic Announces Newest Product - DragonFly

 

Throughout my time in dentistry, I have relied on the power of visual communication.  I purchased an intraoral cameral system in the very early 90s when the price was $15,000.  The reason for that was simple.  My undergraduate degree in psychology had taught me that well over 80% of what humans perceive about their environment comes from the eyes.  Patients understand their conditions better when they can see them and informed patients make better decisions regarding their overall health.  All these years later, we are still using intraoral cameras in my office every day.

Then, let’s turn this issue around.  Patients make better decisions when they see better, so do doctors make better decisions when they see better?  Of course they do.

I started with magnification in around 1995 and I have continued to improve my clinical vision ever since.  I remember an instructor once telling me, “Flucke, in order to do well, one must SEE well.”  This particular person wasn’t wearing magnification, but back then no one did.  However, that advice rings even *more* true when one considers how superior magnification can affect your dentistry.

Of course, magnification goes hand in hand with lighting.  As you increase your level of magnification, the amount of light that enters the telescope decreases.  That is simple physics.  That translated into “as you increase magnification, you also must increase light” or you will lose clarity and detail.  That is one of the reasons that I am a huge fan of having a bright LED attached to my scopes.  (By the way, I realize that everyone calls them “loupes”, but I prefer to call them “surgical telescopes”.  I think that term is simply more accurate.)  Having a bright light attached to your scopes provides amazing visualization.  The operatories that I have designated as my preferred workspaces in my office do not even have track lights.  The amount of illumination I get from my scope mounted LED is good, that I find track lights of no use.  If you are still using track lights, pay attention to how often you move/adjust them during each appointment.  When you start paying attention to that and realize how frequently you are stopping to move the light, you will be surprised.  Having a light that  is bright and is always available everywhere you look quickly becomes a necessity.

Which brings us to the reason for this discussion.  I have recently been doing a Test Drive of the new DragonFly system from Orascoptic.  I’ve always been a fan of Orascoptic as a company.  Their products are always well made, they hold up to the rigors of daily use (and occasional abuse), and they provide phenomenal visualization of the field.  That visualization is especially amazing when it is combined with one of their Endeavour XL lights.  I love the Endeavour XL, but the drawback for me is the battery.  The system requires a fairly hefty battery that is connected with a wire.

A few years ago the company came out with a radical new design that really turned the magnification space on its proverbial ear.  The new design, called XV-1, was a huge leap forward in the world of dental magnification.  It combined a sporty frame with your choice of magnification, but the really radical aspect was that it had a built-in light.  The design was such that the batteries were in ‘pods’ that were at the end of the arms of the frame.  This meant no battery pack on your waist or pocket and no wire that dangled and got caught on things.  The XV-1 was the first “all in one” design of telescopes and light.  I put an order in immediately.

Now we are seeing the next step forward in this concept with DragonFly.  The system is extremely well thought out.  The smart people at Orascoptic took some time to really analyze their previous system and then approved upon it significantly; even going so far as to consider different categories of end user and planning for them accordingly.  Allow me to explain.

DragonFly is still a single unit magnification and built-in light device.  However, it is built in different sizes and different models.  There is the DragonFly Pro, which is designed for dentists and surgeons.  It is completely customizable, meaning it can be ordered with any of the magnification setups that Orascoptic offers.  This means things like the variable level EyeZoom telescope or the interchangeable lens Omni can equip the unit.  It also comes with extra batteries, multiple light intensity settings, and has an extremely durable ceramic paint finish.  There are four frame colors available of Amethyst, Charcoal, Neptune, and Olive.  These colors make use of a ceramic polymer coating that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also resistant to corrosion from disinfectants.

Then there is the DragonFly RDH.  This model is designed for hygienists and features the RDH line of scopes which were designed specifically for the dental hygiene profession.  There are three colors available, Champagne, Lilac, and Midnight.

The third model is the DragonFly Neo.  This model is intended for users on a budget as well as students.  It supports the 4 most popular magnification levels that are preferred by first time purchasers (2.5x micro, 2.5x macro, 3.0x, and 3.5x).  I am really impressed by this model.  Magnification is no longer a ‘nice to have’ in our profession.  It truly is a ‘must have’ but for people on a budget, oftentimes purchasing clinical telescopes can be a serious drain on the budget.  By offering this model, Orascoptic is providing a great product at a great price point.

All three models are available in Small, Medium, and Large which is a big improvement over the XV-1 concept of “one size fits all”.  Every model also comes with Orascoptic’s TruColor LED headlights.  This makes shade matching while working with the light much easier.  The company is also offering square or round lens shapes.  This allows the user to customize the shape of the scope to the user’s facial feature.  It’s a nice little benefit to have and Orascoptic is currently the *only* company offering this.

I have been using a pre-production model for my Test Drive and I have been impressed.  One of the great things about being an established customer is that the company has all of my measurements stored in my customer file.  In normal circumstances a sales representative would come by the office, take measurements, and then have the system custom built for the user, for my Test Drive they took the measurements in my record and created a “Pro” setup based on those numbers.  They were “spot on” right out of the case!

The unit I’ve been testing is the Pro model, charcoal finish, and the adjustable (3.0x, 4.0x, 5.0x) EyeZoom telescopes.  These scopes allow me to change levels simply by twisting the scope until it clicks into the correct setting.  I have always been a fan of very bright lighting which is why I have often chosen to put up with the hassle of an external battery pack.  The DragonFly Pro setup I have used has the TruColor LED with a high output of 78 lumens and a low output of 49 lumens.  I have found the 78 lumen setting to be adequate for almost all of my procedures.  The DragonFly is extremely comfortable to wear.  The battery pods being at the end of the arms means that the weight on your nose is lessened due to the counterbalance of the batteries.  The batteries last for over a single workday and are recharged at night.

Canada’s 2022 Dental Hygiene Superheroes Unmasked

I thought this was a fun idea and a great way to honor the hardworking dental hygienists in Canada.  Read on for the details!

From an impressive field of 685 deserving nominees from across Canada, the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) was thrilled to reveal the winners of its fifth Dental Hygiene Superhero Competition at our recent conference in the Yukon.

This remarkable field of nominees was narrowed to 20 finalists and evaluated by a panel of judges who selected Jadina Yip of Burnaby, British Columbia, as Canada’s Dental Hygiene Superhero. Two honourable mentions were also selected: Laura Iorio of Ajax, Ontario, and Elizabeth Jones of Vancouver, British Columbia. 

  Championed by oral health defender CDHA and sponsored by SENSODYNE, this competition recognizes dental hygiene health care superheroes, the important work they accomplish, and the roles they play as essential primary health care providers in communities across Canada. 

 “I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the 2022 Sensodyne Superheroes” says Wendy Stewart, CDHA president. “Their inspiring stories remind me of why I became a dental hygienist – to help others. Their exceptional service to their patients, their communities, and our profession. has had a huge impact on the overall health of their communities, and I thank them for their hard work and generosity.” Dental hygienists were nominated primarily by clients, but also by colleagues and employers, and were evaluated on their client focus, empowerment through education, accountability, leadership, integrity, respect, and compassion. 

 Congratulations to all nominees. Visit dentalhygienecanada.ca/superherowinners to read more about these inspiring heroes.  

CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 30,000 dental hygienists in Canada, directly representing 21,000 individual members, including students. Since 1963, CDHA has worked to advance the profession and promote the importance of oral health. Dental hygiene is the sixth-largest regulated health profession in Canada, with professionals working in a variety of settings, including independent dental hygiene practice, with people of all ages, addressing issues related to oral health. For more information on oral health, visit dentalhygienecanada.ca.  

WhipMix is Stepping Up with a TurnKey 3D Solution

I love it when a company does things the right way.  I've recently been doing a Test Drive for Whipmix and I've been very impressed.

Often when I'm working on an evaluation for a company, I am working with a single product.  However, the work I've been doing lately is a little different..  Whipmix has entered 3D in a big way with a whole turnkey system.  It includes a 3Shape intraoral scanner with access to cloud storage, 3D DLP printer, a 3D model wash station, and a 3D model curing oven.

While you could certainly buy all of these components from different companies, there is a certain advantage of scale that comes with having one company to order from and one company to call if you happen to need customer support.

Whipmix has greatly simplified the process of creating and using 3D printing.  In addition to hardware, they also have a full line of materials for the 3D printer.  They are calling their turnkey system Verione and if you are looking to get your office involved in the world of 3D printing (and you should!) , take a look at the offerings from WhipMix.