Dentacor

Using AI to responsibly expand access to essential dental care
Dentacor Mitigation Agreement

Dentacor is addressing one of the most overlooked gaps in healthcare: access to oral health for Utah’s most vulnerable populations. Many individuals experiencing homelessness or financial hardship live for years with untreated dental disease — not because treatment is complex, but because access is limited.

Dentacor’s mobile dental hygiene model brings care directly to shelters, recovery programs, and transitional housing. Through a pilot with the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy (OAIP), Dentacor is testing whether AI can safely support this work by increasing clinical capacity without compromising patient safety.

The Problem

Demand for dental care among low-income populations continues to grow while provider capacity declines. Existing supervision requirements can limit how many patients mobile clinics are able to serve, even for routine, high-need procedures.

The Approach

OAIP granted Dentacor a 12-month regulatory mitigation under the AI Learning Laboratory program to test a narrowly defined use of an AI-assisted radiograph diagnostic tool.

Under this pilot:

  • Licensed dental hygienists may use AI to assist in diagnosing specific dental conditions

  • Diagnoses must be confirmed by both the hygienist and the AI system

  • Any disagreement is escalated to a licensed dentist

  • Only a limited set of procedures is permitted

  • All patients provide informed consent and receive full transparency

AI functions as a clinical support tool, not a replacement for professional judgment.

Safety, Oversight, and Guardrails

The pilot includes clear guardrails:

  • Continuous human oversight

  • Strong privacy and cybersecurity protections

  • Monthly reporting to OAIP

  • Coordination with the Division of Professional Licensing

Failure to meet these requirements may result in immediate termination of the mitigation.

Why This Pilot Matters

AI tools have shown increasing accuracy in analyzing dental radiographs. When paired with licensed clinicians and appropriate oversight, these tools may help care teams serve more patients, reduce delays, and identify issues earlier — while ensuring complex cases are referred to dentists.

Looking Ahead

This pilot reflects OAIP’s commitment to responsible testing with real-world impact. If successful, Dentacor’s approach could inform future policy on how AI can support safety-net healthcare delivery while maintaining patient protections and public trust.