Dental industry leaders have created a group to educate and conduct research on the role artificial intelligence (AI) will play in future dentistry.
The Dental AI Council, which includes practitioners, equipment manufacturers, insurance carriers, and many others, will conduct research and work to stimulate greater understanding of the technology as AI begins to yield increased efficiency, accuracy, consistency, and insight in dental applications. The group's first study is expected to be released later in 2020.
The council will also facilitate AI-related educational programming, thought leadership content, and public advocacy initiatives.
The founding members of the council are as follows:
- Ashish Tholia, director of strategy at Delta Dental
- Dr. Bruce Lieberthal, chief innovation officer at Henry Schein
- Dr. Kyle Stanley, chief clinical officer at Pearl
- Dr. Linda Vidone, chief clinical officer at Delta Dental of Massachusetts
- Lou Azzara, CEO of Dental Services Group Laboratory
- Dr. Markus Blatz, chair and professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
- Merrit Dake, CEO of Rock Dental
- Mischa Reis, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development at Envista
- Ophir Tanz, CEO of Pearl
- Dr. Robert Mongrain, director of clinical advisors at Heartland Dental
- Ronald Bolden, vice president of dental market insight at Cigna
- Dr. Roshan Parikh, head of dentistry at Walmart
- Dr. Sanjay Mallya, chair and associate professor of oral and maxillofacial radiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry
- Steve Bilt, CEO of Smile Brands
- Tom Daulton, CEO and president of National Dentex Laboratories
