Mina Mahdian, an associate professor at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, and Prateek Prasanna, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, have secured a $300,000 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their research will explore the potential for routine dental imaging to detect early signs of heart disease.
The project, titled “Automated Characterization of Arterial Calcification in Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography as Predictors of Cardiovascular Disease,” aims to develop an AI tool capable of identifying arterial calcifications. These mineral deposits visible in cone beam CT scans can indicate cardiovascular risk.
“I am excited about this project, as this is the first study to apply quantitative imaging biomarkers, such as radiomics, to characterize vascular calcifications in CBCT to predict cardiovascular disease,” Mahdian stated. She highlighted that while most AI research focuses on common dental pathologies, this project emphasizes AI’s role in predicting cardiovascular risks based on dental CBCTs.
Mahdian is involved with the Global Initiative on Artificial Intelligence for Health, launched by WHO, ITU, and WIPO. The initiative seeks to enhance healthcare using AI and foster knowledge exchange and technical standards development.
“At the IMAGINE Lab, we’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for healthcare,” said Prasanna. He explained that advanced machine learning could reveal hidden signals in routine scans like dental CBCTs to assess systemic diseases such as cardiovascular conditions.
If successful, this technology could function as an early warning system during dental visits by alerting providers to potential risk factors for follow-up with medical professionals.
“Dr. Mahdian’s NIH award demonstrates the collaborative potential that exists when a dental school resides on a university campus,” said Patrick M. Lloyd, dean of Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. He emphasized how such environments foster discoveries and improve patient care.
The research receives support from NIDCR under Award Number R03DE033489.
