U.K. researchers to develop AI for detecting tooth decay

A group in the U.K. has received a nearly $2 million grant to develop artificial intelligence (AI) to help detect tooth decay and gum disease on x-rays.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research, the U.K.'s major funder of clinical and translational research, awarded the grant to a team led by researchers at the University of Surrey. The grant will support work on developing an AI model to recognize abnormalities in dental x-rays. 

"Efforts so far have included gathering a representative set of annotated radiograms and training a custom-built AI model on dental disease detection," said project lead Dr. Yunpeng Li, a senior lecturer in AI. 

Ultimately, the project aims to provide a one-stop solution for collecting and annotating dental radiographs and assisting with disease diagnosis while offering recommendations on how best to implement the technology in a clinical setting, according to the group. 

"The technology could save valuable time and money if rolled out more widely, enabling dentists to have abnormalities pop up in front of them and read radiograms with higher accuracy," Li added.

Collaborators on the project include researchers at King's College London, the Royal Surrey National Health Service Foundation Trust, and the Oral Health Foundation.