LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2021 -- Pearl, the leader in AI solutions for efficiency, accuracy, and consistency in dental care, today announced that the United States Patent Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,984,529 entitled "Systems and methods for automated medical image annotation." The patent covers the technological system underpinning the user interface (UI) of its assistive dental radiology AI device, Second Opinion.
"This patent further illustrates Pearl's dedication to enhancing the dental category end-to-end."
The patent covers the system whereby AI-detected pathologies, restorations and other dental conditions are displayed to dental practitioners and patients in the clinical setting. The machine learning models responsible for producing an accurate radiologic assessment express their findings on the nature and location of any detected features as a raw data stream. Pearl's patented system takes that data and translates it into a user-friendly visual representation: When a patient's x-ray is displayed within the UI, the device draws viewers' attention to any AI-detected dental conditions by circumscribing the location of the detection within a labeled bounding shape overlay.
"This patent further illustrates Pearl's dedication to enhancing the dental category end-to-end," explains Pearl CTO Cambron Carter. "AI-assisted radiology is our core focus at Pearl, but no technology is effective unless it is easy to use as a tool. The United States Patent Office's recognition of the unique value of our user interface is a testament to the importance of user experience to technological innovation."
Second Opinion, which recently received the CE mark certification required for distribution in EU member territories, is Pearl's first AI solution developed for patient-facing clinical use. Capable of detecting and measuring a wide assortment of pathologies, existing restorations and natural anatomy in dental x-rays, Second Opinion was developed to serve as a second set of eyes for dentists, helping them ensure the reliability of their radiologic evaluations. Used within a clinical setting, dentists can point to Second Opinion's AI detections to fortify patient confidence in a diagnosis.
"We are proud of the work we're doing to usher AI into the dental industry," commented Pearl's founder and CEO, Ophir Tanz. "No matter how advanced the technology underlying the AI products Pearl brings to market may be, we strive always to maintain focus on making our AI accessible for the people who are using it. Today's patent news is really about Pearl's commitment to the belief that for AI to make dentists better, we have to make AI better for dentists."
This patent comes in the wake of two other patent grants for Pearl's AI technologies this year––one for enhancing the restoration fabrication workflow and another for automating insurance claims processing.
