An Australian company has launched Australia’s first lateral cephalometric tracing software, which uses artificial intelligence to identify, annotate and trace over 150 anatomical landmarks from a single cephalometric X-ray in under 10 seconds.
A cephalometric X-ray shows a side view of a patient’s head and gives practitioners a close look at the teeth, jaw and surrounding structures for more reliable diagnoses and effective treatment.
The software is called EAI CEPH and was developed by Sydney-based dental imaging startup Eyes of AI (EAI).
EAI CEPH transforms a critical diagnostic task that takes an average of 11 minutes to do manually into a 10-second or less automated process and generates patient reports that include visualisations of any concerns.
The software aids in fulfilling dental compliance requirements, helping practitioners adhere to industry standards. By automating this critical step, it aims to protect practices from potential patient lawsuits due to unsatisfactory outcomes, saving time and reducing stress.
“EAI CEPH’s ease of use reduces the learning curve to focus on patient care,” dentist and orafacial myologist Dr Alexander McDonald said.
“This software is a testament to AI’s incredible potential in enhancing dental healthcare and optimising patient outcomes.”
Dr McDonald is one of several dental practitioners who have trialled the software, which EAI is offering free of charge until the end of February 2025.
The developers of EAI CEPH are also working with the CSIRO on machine-learning models that can identify normal anatomy and pathological lesions in dental radiographs.
“Oral health issues in Australia are escalating, partly due to misdiagnosis of X-rays and the unaffordability of dental visits due to the time it takes to do things like analyse common dental X-rays,” EAI co-founder Khoa Le said.
“This is alarming, considering poor oral health has been linked to chronic illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes.
“EAI is determined to develop the most sophisticated AI technology for dental radiograph analysis, reducing misdiagnoses, creating efficiencies and enhancing patient health outcomes in Australia and globally.”
