Fri., Nov. 6, 2026
8:30am – 11:30am
Room 106-A (Lecture)
Speakers: Owais A. Farooqi, DDS ’06, MDS, MPH, FACHE, Seth Gibree, DMD, FAGD,  Mark Whitefield, DDS, AFAAID, AAACD, Faraz Moharrami, DDS, PhD, and Nathalia Andrade, DDS, MSc, PhD.

Recommended for: Everyone

Moderator: Owais A. Farooqi, DDS ’06, MDS, MPH, FACHE

DENTISTRY IN THE AGE OF AI: WHAT’S HERE. WHAT’S COMING. WHAT IT MEANS FOR US.

Speaker: Owais A. Farooqi, DDS ‘06, MDS, MPH, FACHE
Alumni Speaker Series

Artificial intelligence is already being used across dentistry, from image interpretation and disease measurement to patient communication, workflow, and decision support. Other applications are moving quickly from research toward practice.

This opening keynote will take a wide-angle look at where dental AI stands today, what may be coming next, and what those changes mean for clinicians and patients. It will also examine the questions that become more important as these systems become more capable: What does FDA authorization tell us? How should we interpret evidence and validation? What happens when an AI finding and a clinician’s judgment differ?

The larger question is not simply what AI can do, but what kind of dentistry we want to build with it.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe current and emerging applications of artificial intelligence across clinical care, patient communication, workflow, and decision support in dentistry.
• Interpret FDA authorization, validation evidence, and clinical performance when evaluating an AI-enabled dental technology.
• Examine how AI-generated information can influence clinical judgment and identify considerations for incorporating it into patient care.

Owais A. Farooqi, DDS ‘06, MDS, MPH, FACHE is a healthcare executive, clinical practitioner, AI researcher and educator. He is board-certified in periodontics, implant surgery, and healthcare management. He serves as Chief of Dental Service at the VA Healthcare System in Los Angeles and as VA’s Lead Dentist for Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry and President of the American Academy of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry. Dr. Farooqi earned his DDS (UB ’06), Periodontology Certificate and Masters (UT ’09) and completed an MPH at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His work includes clinical practice, teaching, Dental AI Tech evaluation, research, education, and standards development.

BRIDGING THE GAP: A HUMAN-CENTRIC BLUEPRINT FOR CLINICAL AI IMPLEMENTATION

 Speaker: Seth Gibree, DMD, FAGD

As artificial intelligence revolutionizes dental diagnostics and treatment planning, the most critical factor for success remains the people using the technology. This session provides a practical, step-by-step change management blueprint for building a “human‑in‑the‑loop” practice. Attendees will learn how to seamlessly integrate AI into daily clinical workflows, establish clear communication talk tracks, and manage patient perceptions during the transition. By combining actionable operational strategies with targeted team education, practice leaders will leave equipped to foster seamless AI adoption that empowers their staff and elevates patient trust.

Seth Gibree, DMD, FAGD, is a leading advocate for the ethical and operational integration of artificial intelligence in dentistry. At Heartland Dental, he serves as the Senior Director of Clinical AI and Innovation, standing at the forefront of strategic industry development. Leveraging his clinical background as a multi-practice owner, he scales emerging technologies from initial concept to enterprise-wide rollout across the nation’s largest dental support organization. As a founding advisory board member for the American Academy of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry and the VideaHealth AI Leadership Council, he guides the profession in responsible AI adoption, focusing on change management and empowering clinical teams. His work is driven by a simple mission: to wake up every day and make dentistry better for patients and clinicians through AI and innovation.

AI-ENHANCED OPTICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN DENTISTRY: CLINICAL APPLICATIONS AND WORKFLOW INTEGRATION

Speaker: Mark Whitefield, DDS, AFAAID, AAACD

The course provides an in-depth look at how artificial intelligence (Al)-driven optical technologies are transforming dental practice. It focuses on the integration of advanced tools such as augmented reality optics, which are increasingly being used for surgical visualization, enhanced magnification, digital guidance, and case documentation. The session draws parallels to technologies previously used in medical specialties like neurosurgery and orthopedics, highlighting their growing relevance in dentistry. Attendees will explore practical, real-world applications of these innovations, including how Al-­enabled optics can improve precision, ergonomics, communication, and decision-making in daily dental workflows. The course includes multiple clinical use cases and case studies that demonstrate a range of Al optical capabilities, such as ergonomic enhancement, advanced magnification, patient and staff communication, voice dictation, digital implant targeting, voice-­activated large language model (LLM) integration, and heads-up display functionality. The overall goal is to present these advancements in a clinically relevant and accessible manner, enabling participants to assess the value and potential return on investment of adopting new Al-driven tools in their own practices.

Mark Whitefield, DDS, AFAAID, AAACD, is an experienced implant dentist based in Nashville, Tennessee, with over three decades in clinical practice. He holds accreditations from both the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Dr. Whitefield has contributed to advancements in dental technology and education, focusing on practical solutions for implant and restorative dentistry.

BEYOND IMAGING AND DIAGNOSTICS: USING AI TO ADVANCE PROGNOSTICS AND PERSONALIZED TREATMENT PLANNING

Speaker: Faraz Moharrami, DDS, PhD

Explore AI’s clinical potential beyond imaging using structured patient data. This presentation deconstructs data science tasks and discusses how prognostics and counterfactuals for treatment planning are underutilized compared to diagnostics. Discover how machine learning can accurately forecast individualized prognostic risks, such as osteoradionecrosis, moving beyond one-size-fits-all metrics. Learn to optimize interventions, like pre-radiotherapy dental extractions, using causal machine learning to precisely target treatments and avoid patient harm. Finally, explore live, web-based clinical decision support demo tools that could empower clinicians and patients to make highly personalized, evidence-based care choices.

Faraz Moharrami, DDS, PhD is a clinician specializing in dental public health and a data scientist. He leverages predictive modeling, computer vision, and counterfactual analysis to solve complex healthcare challenges, from epidemiological modeling to targeted precision medicine. His career spans data science roles at Statistics Canada and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, as well as extensive industry consulting. He is deeply invested in the global adoption of dental AI, having contributed to the ITU-WHO Focus Group on AI for Health and serving as a founding Advisory Board Member for the American Academy of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry (AAAI-D).

FROM INNOVATION TO INTEGRATION: AI AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN DENTISTRY

Speaker: Nathalia Andrade, DDS, MSc, PhD

The rapid influx of patient digital data, from genomic sequences to 3D facial scans, is transforming dentistry and healthcare. Yet the true challenge lies in translating this data into meaningful clinical action. This presentation will explore how artificial intelligence serves as the critical bridge between raw information and clinical expertise, enhancing the dentist’s capacity to deliver precise, individualized care.

I will discuss three interconnected pillars of my work at the UB School of Dental Medicine. First, in clinical care, I will demonstrate how AI-powered digital workflows and advanced imaging are redefining surgical planning, enabling highly precise, patient-specific interventions for complex oral procedures. Second, in dental education, I will show how the framework we use helps students incorporate AI and highlight how we combine AI with virtual reality to develop immersive, scalable educational content that prepares students for real-world clinical scenarios. Finally, in biological research, I will show how artificial intelligence can help us analyze complex biological data and unveil novel genetic targets for host modulation therapy of chronic inflammatory diseases. By connecting these domains, clinical practice, education, and research, I will argue that the true promise of AI lies not just in automation, but in augmentation, enhancing the clinician’s ability to perceive, predict, and perform, ultimately transforming how we diagnose, treat, and train for the future of patient-centered dental medicine.

Nathalia Andrade, DDS, MSc, PhD is a board-certified periodontist, clinician-scientist, and Director of Artificial Intelligence Initiatives at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Her work integrates artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, digital tools, and biological research to advance dental education, clinical care, and scientific discovery

Faculty Panel & Audience Q&A

Dr. Gibree (or an immediate family member) has a significant relationship with the following commercial organizations whose products he will refer to in his presentation: Heartland Dental.

Drs. Whitefield, Moharrami, and Andrade (or an immediate family member) are not associated with, employed by, nor consult for any manufacturer, supplier, or retailer of dental instruments or materials.

The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Office of Alumni Relations and Professional Engagement designates this activity for 3 continuing education credits.