NovoDynamics, Inc., the trusted provider of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the dental industry, announced that the U.S. Patent Office has granted Patent #11,464,466 to the company Methods and systems for the screening of periodontal diseases Technology for evaluating dental radiographs (aka X-rays) and associated documentation for periodontitis and periodontitis assessment.
This novel technology is part of the NovoDynamics NovoHealth Dental solution, which supports physician and payer decisions with objective, statistically-based disease assessments. NovoHealth Dental has been shown to meet or exceed the performance of committees of periodontists reviewing the same evidence.
The patent, filed in 2019, describes methods and systems that have been integrated and further developed into the NovoHealth Dental platform, which automatically analyzes dental insurance claims in real time; provides accurate clinical assessments; uncovers fraud, waste and abuse to effectively eliminate Pay and Chase; and efficiently streamlines claim verification for faster reimbursement.
The NovoHealth Dental Periodontitis Disease Assessment module can provide high quality results even when only low quality or non-diagnostic quality X-ray images are available. It locates affected sites, assesses severity, and determines whether the claimed procedures meet the reimbursement criteria of the patient’s dental plan.
Periodontal disease (also known as gum disease) can damage soft tissue and erode the bone that supports teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of US adults suffer from periodontitis. While less serious conditions can be treated with careful home oral hygiene, more serious cases may require professional intervention.
“Evaluating claims for periodontal services such as scaling and root planing and even gum surgery can be time-consuming and particularly challenging,” says Dr. Joseph Borg, DDS, Dental Director at NovoDynamics. “Because x-rays submitted with insurance claims are often of poor quality, identifying bone loss and other pathologies can be difficult, potentially delaying patient treatment, insurance claim assessment and population-based health planning.”
To address the many challenges associated with the computer-assisted assessment of periodontal disease, the NovoDynamics patent draws on the company’s wealth of experience and expertise to solve complex problems by applying its proprietary technologies and advanced techniques such as federated database retrieval, Uses data normalization and advanced image processing, pattern recognition, predictive analytics, machine learning and more.
The NovoHealth Dental Periodontal Disease Assessment module, based on this powerful intellectual property, quickly recognizes and classifies insurance claim attachments, distinguishing between x-rays, photos, periodontal charts and reports such as notes or correspondence from physicians. It automatically extracts relevant images and labels each X-ray according to view type (bitewing, periapical or panoramic), tooth type and position. It quickly identifies key anatomical structures and uses AI-driven statistical models to assess bone loss and calculate the number of affected teeth per quadrant for coding verification.
David Rock, CEO of NovoDynamics, suggests: “Accurate, reliable and consistent technology like the patented periodontal disease assessment and decision support tool that we have integrated into NovoHealth Dental not only improves the quality of care but also promotes goodwill payers, providers and patients. That kind of trust is essential to ensure quality healthcare is not only accessible, but embraced.”
About NovoDynamics
NovoDynamics provides artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that address critical healthcare challenges, save payers and providers time and money, and help improve the quality of care for patients.
Since 2001, NovoDynamics, an In-Q-Tel portfolio company, has applied its proven AI expertise and advanced image processing technology to solve complex problems for governments, commercial enterprises and academic institutions.
For more information, follow NovoDynamics on LinkedIn and Twitter (@NovoDynamics) or visit NovoDynamics.com.
