Background

Patients with skin lesions suspicious for skin cancer visit a dental or other oral healthcare provider (DHP) office more often than a primary care office.  DHPs have limited extra-oral skin exam training in skin cancer triage, but often recommend their patients with skin lesions of concern to see a dermatologist. 

Objective

To measure the clinical utility of a digital dermoscopy image-based artificial intelligence algorithm (DDI-AI device) in the management and diagnosis of skin cancers that may be seen first at a dental office, prior to primary care or dermatology office.  

Methods

33 DHP participants evaluated 50 clinical images and 50 digital dermoscopy images (DDI) of the same skin lesions (25 malignant and 25 benign), first without and then with knowledge of the DDIAI device output. Participants selected whether they thought the image was likely benign or malignant.

Results

The management sensitivity of the DHPs using the DDI-AI device was 97.0%, compared to 79.0% with DDI, and 67.6% with clinical images, and no significant difference was observed in management specificity.  The diagnostic sensitivity of the DHPs using the DDI-AI device was 84.4%, compared to 67.5% with DDI, and 54.2% with clinical images, and no significant difference was observed in management specificity.

Conclusion

The use of the DDI-AI device has the potential to improve skin cancer triage, increase confidence in management decision-making in a dental or other oral healthcare provider office setting, and safely and effectively reduce the burden of benign skin lesion referrals to primary care and dermatology offices

Renata Block, MMS, PA-C, is a board-certified Physician Assistant in Dermatology, practicing in Chicago, Illinois since 2003. She is also an Editorial Advisory Board member of Dermatology Times. Renata has held leadership roles, including serving as the president of the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA) and the Illinois Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (ISDPA).

Her contributions to dermatology include articles on topics like patient education on mineral sunscreens, anti-aging skin care, and scalp care innovations. Renata has extensive experience in dermatological treatments and product development.