VideaHealth and Henry Schein One Look to Bring Dental AI to More Hygiene Students

VideaHealth and Henry Schein One are expanding their partnership to bring artificial intelligence (AI) to the dental education market in an effort to provide more dental hygiene students access to using the technology and to become more efficient when reviewing radiographs.

The AI software company VideaHealth and Henry Schein One, a leader in dental software, today announced the expanded partnership designed to bring AI to the dental education market through Henry Schein One cloud-based academic software, Ascend Academic. The announcement means VideaHealth’s Detect AI is now available to Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, and Ascend Academic customers.

Staffing issues have plagued many dental practices in recent years. About 7,000 dental hygienists graduate annually, yet that number is insufficient to meet the demand from dental practices. Using DetectAI powered and manufactured by VideaHealth, hygiene students can become faster, more accurate, and more efficient when reviewing radiographs, the companies state. This technology will accelerate their learning curve and bring new skills and insight to program graduates.

Jonathan Brennan, MD, DMD, MPH, associate dean of innovation and curriculum at Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, says the new technology can provide a big help in the students’ development in diagnostics.

"DentalAI's positive impact in an educational setting cannot be overstated, as it offers the opportunity for students to refine their diagnostic skills before they ever see a patient,” he says in a press release. “I expect that clinicians trained in school with dental AI will graduate with finer skills than ever before, with a higher degree of confidence in their treatment recommendations as well as greater diagnostic accuracy."

VideaHealth says its investment in dental education will begin with a focus on hygiene schools, conducted in partnership with Henry Schein One, and will provide near immediate access to DetectAI through the seamless integration with the cloud-based Ascend Academic.

VideaHealth is not only partnering on the technology integration, but the company also plans to produce new training modules to equip educators with the proper tools and information to best leverage dental AI in the classroom.

"Today Henry Schein One serves 80% of U.S. dental academic institutions with our axiUm solution portfolio," Rachel Nelson, VP, Global Academic Solutions, Henry Schein One, adds in the press release. "As we continue to expand our presence across the dental education industry and into dental hygiene schools with Ascend Academic and DetectAI, we can further empower hygienists to utilize AI, significantly reducing dental problems through patient education and early detection."

The technology allows students to learn and train with dental AI insights, to simulate patient cases and real-time feedback, and enhance their interpretations and treatment planning skills before ever entering clinical practice. They also will be able to hone their treatment recommendation skills, bolstered by sophisticated patient visualizations—all of which is intended to help jump-start their careers.

"This is a milestone moment for the market. Educators have been asking for dental AI to help train their students, and we are proud to meet that need,” adds Florian Hillen, CEO of VideaHealth. “Dental AI is an invaluable tool; helping future clinicians develop their skills, experience, and insight will give them the confidence to do their work well and tos hare those insights with patients."

Through a partnership with Henry Schein One, Boston-based VideaHealth also brings the co-branded Dentrix Detect AI and Dentrix Ascend AI powered by VideaHealth to the tens of thousands of offices using the company's practice management software.