The Dental Head Start Podcast Tip #148 – Imaging: AI Revolutionizing Diagnosis and Image Recognition with Dr. Martin Gale
Hosted by @dr.haydynbathurst
Hello everyone and welcome again to “What I wish I knew”, the dental headstart series where we give you little tips and tricks to help you get ahead in dentistry.
In this episode today I am talking with specialist endodontist Dr Martin Gale. As new general dentists, patients come to us with often complex problems, and we are sometimes under a lot of stress to find the correct diagnosis. If we can’t figure it out, and particularly if the patient is in pain, then referral to our local endodontist is the next step. We just hope that they can make that correct diagnosis and solve the problem. But what if we have not made the right decision to refer, and in fact our patient does not need to see an endodontist. This may waste the patient’s and the endodontist’s time. Or perhaps of more concern, we decide not to refer a patient, and they then don’t get their disease treated! Is there any way we can get some help to make the right decision, on
deciding the diagnosis, and on whether to refer a patient?
I had the pleasure of seeing one of Dr Martin Gale’s lectures on dental artificial intelligence last year, and it seems that AI might be a possible help for making those
difficult diagnostic decisions. We’ve discussed AI on the podcast before but this technology is rapidly changing, so it’s due for another episode. And Dr Gale is the man when it comes to implementation of AI into dentistry, in particular into endodontics. He has been researching dental AI since 2005 and has developed a working app for endodontic diagnosis since 2017. In this first episode, he’ll take us through the development of AI and its practical uses in dentistry, including in endodontics. In the second episode (coming soon) we will explore the responsibility dentists have in implementing this powerful technology, and raise awareness about how AI may disrupt the dental industry in the coming decades. I think you’ll enjoy it!
Key moments
0:04:31 First medical AI software developed in 1972
0:08:14 Explanation of convolutional neural networks (CNN)
0:11:14 Introduction of transformers by Google in 2017
0:15:36 Discussion on image recognition in dental radiographs
0:21:31 Dr. Martin Gale’s personal research on endodontic AI diagnosis 0:26:51 Reveal of his neural network’s 94-95% accuracy rate
0:29:35 Importance of accurate data collection in diagnostics
0:34:58 Explanation of AI’s real market (large organizations, insurers) vs individual dentists These timestamps highlight the progression of the discussion from AI’s history to its specific applications in dentistry.
Dr Martin Gale
Dr Gale is a specialist Endodontist from Melbourne. He has research interests in artificial intelligence for dentistry, in particular for endodontic diagnosis. He is also a keen advocate for appropriate CBCT use in endodontics. He mentors for the University of Melbourne and the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch. In addition, Martin sits on various committees for the Australian Society of Endodontology Victorian Branch, Australian Dental Association Local Groups, and at the federal level of the Australian Dental Association. He is also a member for Standards Australia and theInternational Standards Organisation Dental TC106 committee.
Thank you to our sponsors of this episode…
Dental Protection Limited
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Dental Advice Network
This episode of the Dental Head Start Podcast is proudly supported by Dental Advice Network.
Whether you’re one year out or forty, we all have clinical questions—and it’s OK not to have all the answers. That’s exactly why the Dental Advice Network exists. With leading experts like Dr Omar Ikram (Endodontist), Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen (Oral Medicine Specialist), Dr Steven Parker (Dental Sedationist), Dr Manu Ayer (Specialist Anaesthetist), Professor Ian Myers (Restorative expert), Dr Kar Mun Chan (Specialist Paediatric Dentist) and Associate Professor Geraldine Moses (Dental Therapeutics and Pharmacology expert), it’s your go-to place for clinical advice, case support, and evidence-based insights.
From medication queries to red flags in oral pathology—or even just a second opinion—Dental Advice Network connects you to trusted voices in dentistry and medicine, including an in-house medical doctor. You’ll also get access to clinical webinars, CPD content, and curated updates to stay ahead in your practice.
It’s peace of mind, peer support, and education—all in one place.
And for Dental Head Start listeners, we’ve teamed up with Dental Advice Network to bring you an exclusive 10% discount when you subscribe. Just use the code HEADSTART10 at checkout. Plus—if you’re a first-year graduate, you already get a massive 50% off.
Check them out at dentaladvicenetwork.com.au, and thank you to Dental Advice Network for supporting the next generation of dental professionals and the Dental Head Start podcast.
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