Dr Asad Rahman explains how radiographic AI is helping patients better understand their oral health, supporting informed consent and increasing confidence in treatment recommendations.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming part of everyday clinical practice, but one of its greatest strengths may not lie in diagnosis alone. According to Dr Asad Rahman, clinical director at Gensmile Dental, AI is helping dentists communicate more effectively with patients, improving understanding, consent and confidence in treatment recommendations.
For Dr Rahman, who has a special interest in endodontics, this becomes particularly valuable when discussing more complex cases. Across the Gensmile network including its specialist practices, clinicians are being encouraged to use Hello Pearl’s AI-powered radiographic software to support patient communication as well as clinical work.
Speaking about his personal experience with the technology, Dr Rahman says it has fundamentally changed the way he discusses diagnosis with patients.
‘Dentists are trained to interpret radiographs,’ he explains. ‘We can quickly recognise different shades of grey, but it’s important to remember that our patients can’t.’
Instead of asking patients to understand subtle changes on a conventional radiograph, Pearl’s AI overlays colour-coded markers onto digital X-rays, making areas of interest clearly visible.
‘For patients, being able to see the different colours highlighting exactly where treatment is needed makes a huge difference,’ says Dr Rahman. ‘They’re much more able to understand their situation very quickly, which means I’m then able to build treatment plans much more easily than simply pointing at a grey and black X-ray.’
Supporting informed consent
Patient consent has also become an increasingly important focus within dentistry and that includes Gensmile, and Dr Rahman believes AI has an important role to play in helping patients make informed decisions. ‘Using Hello Pearl allows us to genuinely demonstrate the diagnosis,’ he says. ‘Patients can clearly understand what their treatment is going to involve, or indeed why treatment may not be necessary.’
He believes this transparency benefits both patients and clinicians. ‘From a consent perspective, it’s a massive benefit. Practices using AI like Hello Pearl can clearly show patients exactly what’s happening, rather than expecting them to interpret an X-ray themselves.’
Building trust through transparency
One of the most valuable aspects of AI, according to Dr Rahman, is that it provides an impartial visual aid during consultations.
‘Nowadays, we’re all AI users in one way or another,’ he says. ‘Having that additional, impartial support as a dentist is incredibly valuable.’ Rather than replacing clinical judgement, he sees AI as reinforcing it. ‘Patients really trust us when we’re using the Hello Pearl system because they can see exactly what we’re seeing.’
Dr Rahman believes the benefits of AI begin long before patients reach the clinician providing treatment. ‘It’s really important that the whole team is using Hello Pearl,’ he explains. ‘The dentist carrying out the initial examination can begin explaining the diagnosis, and by the time patients come to see me, they’ve already started to understand what’s happening.’
This continuity creates a more consistent patient journey. He adds: ‘I can then reinforce that discussion during my consultation, but it really starts from that very first check-up appointment. Having the whole practice using the same system really benefits patients.’
Monitoring disease progression
Among the features of the software Dr Rahman values most is the ability to compare radiographs over time. ‘I love being able to compare different X-rays taken at different points in time,’ he says. ‘It allows us to clearly demonstrate progression of lesions and, importantly, it also helps explain when we shouldn’t intervene.’
Being able to demonstrate stability can be just as valuable as identifying disease progression, supporting more conservative decision making where appropriate.
Seamless integration into practice
Technology adoption often depends on how easily it fits into existing workflows, and Dr Rahman says integration has been one of Pearl’s strengths. ‘It’s fantastic having cloud-based access alongside systems like Dentally,’ he says. ‘Everything integrates seamlessly.’ The flexibility extends beyond the surgery: ‘If I’m reviewing notes before a treatment day or afterwards, it’s incredibly useful to have that accessibility from home.’
While many clinicians anticipate a steep learning curve when introducing AI into practice, Dr Rahman says his experience was the opposite. ‘With many AI systems, you expect it to take a long time before you’re confident using them in front of patients,’ he says. ‘However, with Pearl, and especially with the support from their team, I was able to start using it the very same day I was introduced to the system.’
A positive impact on treatment acceptance
Ultimately, Dr Rahman believes improved patient understanding translates into greater confidence in recommended care. ‘When patients can clearly see and understand their diagnosis, conversations become much easier,’ he says.
Since implementing Pearl across practice, he has observed a noticeable increase in patients proceeding with recommended treatment. ‘As a result of using Pearl AI, I have noticed a significant uptake in treatment.’
For Dr Rahman, the value of AI lies not in replacing clinical expertise, but in making clinical conversations clearer, more transparent and easier for patients to understand, an outcome which benefits both practitioners and those for whom they care.
For more information and to request a demo, visit hellopearl.com/getdemo.
This article is sponsored by Pearl.
