Catch Inflamed Gums Early With AI

Is there any field in which artificial intelligence (AI) hasn't taken over? People are worried AI will take over their jobs, I am worried about mine. From detecting breast cancer to acting as a doctor’s assistant, add aiding a dentist to the list. The applications of AI are endless. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in detecting gum inflammation, also known as gingivitis, from intraoral photographs has been successfully demonstrated in a study led by researchers at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in collaboration with multiple international institutions (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Accuracy of Artificial Intelligence-Based Photographic Detection of Gingivitis

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AI can Identify Gum Inflammation with an Accuracy of Over 90%

This state-of-the-art technology can be an excellent tool for the early diagnosis and preventive measures of oral and systemic diseases associated with gum inflammation such as tooth loss, heart disease, and diabetes. The study shows that the AI algorithms can study the patient’s intraoral photographs and spot signs of inflammation such as redness, swelling, and bleeding gums.

The best part is that this was done with an accuracy greater than 90%, matching the examination done by a dentist. The study was published in the International Dental Journal.

This cutting-edge technology enables population-wide gum health monitoring and paves the way for more individualized dental care.

Researchers from the HKU Faculty of Dentistry, the Department of Computer Science at Hong Kong Chu Hai College, the School of Information Engineering at the Guangdong University of Technology, and The National University of Malaysia conducted the study.

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How AI Can Save Your Teeth and Gums

It entailed constructing and testing an AI model using a dataset of over 567 photos of gums with varied degrees of inflammation, and it is one of the first studies to look into the application of AI in detecting gum inflammation.

Dr. Walter Yu-Hang Lam, the study's leading HKU researcher, emphasizes the significance of the findings for the early detection and management of gum disease.

"Many patients do not attend regular dental check-ups, and they only seek dentists to alleviate pain when their teeth are at the end stage of dental diseases, in which tooth loss is inevitable, and only expensive rehabilitative treatments are available. Our study shows that AI can be a valuable screening tool in detecting and diagnosing gum disease, one of the key indicators of periodontal disease, allowing earlier intervention and better health outcomes for the population," he said.

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Exploring the Applications of AI in Dentistry

AI in dentistry has gained traction in recent years, with academics investigating a variety of applications ranging from cavity detection to treatment prediction to biomimetic design of artificial teeth.

The use of artificial intelligence in gum inflammation detection is a promising development that has the potential to transform how gum disease is recognized, treated, and potentially prevented.

Dr. Reinhard Chun-Wang Chau, an HKU co-investigator of the team, pointed out the benefits of using intraoral photographs in conjunction with AI technology and said, "Based on these intraoral photographs, patients can address the area that they did not clean well and seek dentist's help at an earlier stage."

The collaborative character of this work highlights the power of multidisciplinary research and knowledge exchange. By bringing together experts from various professions and regions, the researchers seek to build an AI model that can accurately diagnose gum inflammation. This might have serious consequences for public health and well-being.

Dr. Lam intends to use the AI system for community services in the project's next stage, making the technology more accessible to the elderly and underserved areas in order to enhance oral health outcomes and minimize health disparities.

Reference:

1. Accuracy of Artificial Intelligence-Based Photographic Detection of Gingivitis - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653923000606)

Source-Medindia