Unlike other medical disciplines, where pain or acute symptoms motivate a visit to the specialist, dentistry is distinguished by the often preventive nature of consultations. Indeed, patients may require treatment even in the absence of pain, posing a unique challenge in terms of communication and assimilation of the necessary care. Allisone.ai then steps in to facilitate patient understanding through artificial intelligence with detailed visualizations and explanations, facilitating better communication and patient engagement in their treatment plan.
How do patients perceive their dental consultation?
Unlike other medical specialties, where consultations are often triggered by acute symptoms or pain, dentistry is characterized by regular attendance - routine check-ups - which is not always motivated by perceptible emergencies. This creates a unique challenge: communicating the importance of preventive treatment or care for problems that are not immediately obvious to the patient. This situation is often exacerbated by the technical complexity of dental diagnosis and treatment, which is not easily visible and comprehensible to non-specialists.
According to ourDental Patient Trust & Understanding Study, there is a significant gap between patients' perception of their oral health and the clinical reality assessed by dentists. For example, the study revealed that 56% of respondents did not accept treatment because they did not understand the urgency of seeking treatment. The absence of symptoms or pain leads patients to believe that dental treatment is not urgent. However, during routine examinations, practitioners often discover cavities, periodontal disease or other conditions requiring intervention before these problems become painful.
In addition, 36% of patients do not fully understand the proposed treatment, and 34% do not understand the importance of treatment. This gap in communication and understanding can lead to delays in acceptance of required treatments, increasing the risk of complications and more extensive, costly interventions in the long term.
The role of visualization in patient understanding is particularly critical in dentistry. The study points out that 70% of patients feel that color coding could have helped them identify features on the radiograph. These artificial intelligence tools can transform abstract concepts into concrete images, helping patients to see what the practitioner sees, and to understand why treatment is necessary even in the absence of symptoms.
The ease of understanding offered by our Allisone software not only translates into greater acceptance of treatments, but also into a marked improvement in the relationship of trust between patient and dentist. Indeed, 25% of respondents shared that they were dissatisfied with their dental consultations, 72% of them due to a lack of explanation, clarity and education; and 49% of patients would have liked their practitioner to use software to support his explanations.
How can we make it easier to understand and assimilate?
Allisone.ai has been designed to make dental imaging not only more accessible, but also more informative for the patient. Here, among other features, are intuitive explanations of dental problems, treatment options and expected results, facilitating better decision-making by patients.
Improved display of radios
The platform's first point of intervention is the transformation of panoramic X-rays, often perceived by patients as difficult to interpret. This helps patients visualize and understand the implications of their oral health condition, transforming technical terms into tangible explanations. Allisone.ai uses colors and indicators to highlight affected areas and the effects of different dental problems such as bone loss or the impact of infections, such as periapical lesions, or the oral structure which can show unknown or invisible elements such as the NAI and sinuses. For example, by highlighting the periodontal line in relation to the CEJ (cemento-enamel junction), the software helps to visually explain periodontal issues that might otherwise go unnoticed by the patient.
Illustrated explanations of treatments
Allisone.ai also includes illustrations to accompany the recommended treatments, so that patients can easily understand what it's like to treat a cavity, root canal or bone graft, for example.
A projected treatment plan
In particular, our platform can be used to project future treatment plans. It can simulate the final appearance of the patient's mouth after various treatments, such as implant placement. This feature enables patients to project themselves into the future and understand not only the importance of proposed interventions, but also the impact on their dental health and aesthetics.
An enriched post-consultation report
After the consultation, Allisone.ai generates a report that the patient can take home, with the elements that the dental surgeon has decided to include. This report includes not only the X-ray with visual annotations in color, but also a legend and a numbering of the teeth linking directly to the proposed estimate, as well as educational sheets explaining recommended care, hygiene advice and the evolution of pathologies in the event of non-treatment. This report meets the practitioner's obligation to provide information, and serves as both an educational tool and a food for thought for the patient.
These features not only enhance the individual patient experience, they also transform the dental consultation process into a more interactive and educational dialogue, where the patient becomes an active participant.
What is the impact on patient understanding and compliance?
The use ofAllisone.ai in dental practices, according to data from theDental Patient Trust & Understanding Study, has significantly improved patients' understanding of their oral health status.
According to the study mentioned, an overwhelming majority of patients (9/10) reported a better understanding of their condition and the treatments required after using the interactive visualizations and detailed explanations. This clarity of communication led to a 24% increase in adherence to proposed treatments. When patients better understand the implications and benefits of their treatments, they are more likely to accept procedures that may initially seem invasive or costly.
In addition, the platform has played a key role in increasing patient acceptance of preventive care. With a 47% improvement in acceptance of preventive care, Allisone.ai helps patients visualize not only the current state of their oral health, but also the potential consequences of inaction. This encourages patients to take preventive measures to avoid future complications, underlining the importance of prevention in dental health.
The impact is not limited to treatment adherence; it also extends to the economic aspect of dental practices. The study observed an increase in the average treatment basket accepted by patients. This is attributable to patients' increased confidence in the benefits of the proposed treatments, reinforced by a deeper understanding of their necessity and efficacy.
The integration of artificial intelligence tools proves that improved education and communication can have a direct and measurable impact on dental practice, not only on treatment adherence, but also on patient satisfaction and loyalty.
By providing educational information and impactful visualizations, Allisone.ai not only improves dental care, it also changes the way patients perceive, understand and value that care. This evolution towards a deeper mutual understanding between dentist and patient is essential for an optimal care pathway.
If you would like to find out how Allisone.ai can optimize your practice, book your demo below: Book a demo
