Having confidence in your dentist’s ability to provide accurate diagnoses and treatments is crucial for proper dental care. Unfortunately, some patients lack this confidence due to concerns about over-treatment or missed critical issues.
While seeking a second opinion from another dentist can help alleviate these concerns, it may not always be practical due to time or cost constraints.
To address this issue, dentists are increasingly turning to AI-powered software that utilizes computer vision to identify dental diseases on X-rays accurately.
Pearl, a startup with FDA clearance to use AI for diagnostic assistance and second opinions in dentistry, recently secured a $58 million Series B funding round led by Left Lane Capital. Other investors include Smash Capital, Alpha Partners, Craft Ventures, and Neotribe Ventures.
Pearl’s founder and CEO, Ophir Tanz, originated the company in 2019 from GumGum, a computer vision startup he co-founded in 2007. With AI, dentists can standardize X-ray interpretations, leveraging a large dataset of dental images for training.
Using Pearl’s diagnostic software, dentists report a 30% increase in patient acceptance of recommended treatments. However, the tool is complementary and intended to aid visualization rather than replace clinical judgment.
Pearl’s revenue saw a remarkable 458% growth in 2023, with expectations of continued rapid expansion.
Tanz believes that AI-powered diagnostics will become a standard of care globally within three years, given the significant adoption rate.
Pearl faces competition from Video Health and Overject, two startups with FDA clearance for similar capabilities. Overject recently raised a $53 million Series C funding round.
