CATEGORY 120 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST AI In today’s turbulent times, hiring and retaining employees across many industries has been challenging, and dentistry has not been impervious to sta ng woes. Rising attrition rates, and a diminishing talent pool have left the industry scrambling for solutions, with 90% of dentists saying it’s extremely or very challenging hiring hygienists and dental assistants. In the face of such resource constraints, dentists are using arti cial intelligence to ll labor gaps and streamline operations so they can do more with fewer sta . Here are four ways AI technology can help alleviate sta ng headaches. Recruiting and training top talent With the current gap in sta ng, new dentists have an abundance of employment options when they graduate. When it comes to choosing a practice, young dentists are looking for tools and training. AI can be a di erentiator for providers looking to attract and hire new talent. A study published by the National Institutes of Health found that recent dental graduates are concerned about their lack of clinical skills, brought on by a lack of in-person learning during the pandemic. Using arti cial intelligence as a teaching tool, your new dentists can hone their diagnostic skills and learn how to use AI to help communicate their treatment plans to patients. AI training also helps ensure that each dentist in your practice is adhering to the same standard of care. Making daily operations easier Sta shortages are hard on front o ce employees, as they shoulder the burden of an increased patient load—and the paperwork that comes along with it. AI is helping streamline administrative tasks like scheduling and billing, essentially serving as a digital assistant, and helping support sta do more with fewer resources. Arti cial intelligence can analyze patient records and automatically rank treatments based on need, notifying employees when to follow up with patients and assisting front o ce sta ers in prioritizing scheduling. AI tools can also help workers more quickly and e ciently schedule appointments for patients without Four ways AI can alleviate staffing headaches in dentistry By Sheela Roth, Director of Clinical Operations, Pearl manually sifting through les, helping to set the best course of treatment. According to the American Dental Association’s 2022 report on AI, the technology can “assist the dental team with understanding who has unscheduled treatments, potentially missed diagnoses, and clinical opportunities to better serve their patients.” Streamlining consultations Dental care has historically required in-person consultations with patients. But advances in AI technology enable teledentistry solutions that can help “diagnose oral diseases and potentially help patients manage oral diseases when immediate dental care is not available,” according to the ADA. “For some aspects of treatment, such as consultation and disease screening, teledentistry is comparable with faceto-face visits,” the report says, noting teledentistry can increase access to care and help more patients. Teledentistry visits help dentists streamline consultations and routine appointments, allowing them to provide care to more patients without increasing sta . In fact, according to the American Teledentistry Association, virtual dentist visits allow for increased appointment exibility, better standards of care, and lower patient costs. Preventing burnout Between February and March 2022 alone, U.S. dental o ces lost 1,500 sta ers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And since the onset of the pandemic, 8% of dental hygienists have resigned. Meanwhile, retirement among dentists is on the rise. In 2021, more than 6,600 dentists over age 55 left the industry, compared to more than 4,700 in 2017, according to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute. e combination of sta shortage and increased patient load has made burnout a looming problem for dentists and support workers alike. Enter AI technology. As explained above, AI tools can help make everything from scheduling and administrative tasks to X-ray detection easier, helping relieve stress for everyone in the o ce. By making workdays more e cient, AI can open time for face-to-face patient care while providing vital personal time for sta ers to decompress, helping avoid burnout and increase sta retention. u Want to see how AI can elevate your practice to the next level of oral health care? Pearl’s radiologic AI software Second Opinion® is now available through Gamma Tech. Contact the team to learn more. P: 0437 230 808 E: service@gammatech.com.au W: https://www.gammatech.com.au/pearlsecond-opinion-dental-ai AI diagnostic assistants provide valuable support to dentists by focusing them on problems they might not have otherwise noticed.
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