Researchers in Latvia have developed an innovative artificial intelligence-based method that could help identify people at increased risk of osteoporosis using routine dental X-rays, offering a simple way to detect the disease before fractures occur.
The project, known as OsteoXplore, is being led by scientists at the Institute of Stomatology of Riga Stradiņš University as part of the BioPhoT research initiative. The technology analyzes dental radiographs with AI to identify changes in the jawbone that may indicate reduced bone density and an elevated risk of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is often referred to as a “silent disease” because it typically progresses without symptoms until a fracture occurs. Medical experts recommend bone density screening for women over 60 and men over 70, yet many people never undergo these examinations due to limited access, high costs, or a lack of referrals.
According to the researchers, this creates an opportunity for dentists to play a greater role in the early detection of osteoporosis. Adults over the age of 50 regularly visit dental clinics and frequently receive panoramic dental X-rays as part of routine care. By applying AI to these existing images, dentists could receive an automated assessment indicating whether a patient may be at higher risk and should be referred for further bone density testing.
Project leader Anda Slaidiņa, a senior researcher at Riga Stradiņš University’s Department of General Dentistry, says the technology is designed to support, rather than replace, clinical decision-making. Many dentists are currently not trained to identify osteoporosis-related changes in dental radiographs, but AI can assist by providing an objective risk assessment.
The research team is continuing to refine the system, with the goal of making it widely available within the next few years. Plans also include a patient-facing application that would allow individuals to upload their dental X-rays for an initial osteoporosis risk evaluation before consulting healthcare professionals.
If successfully implemented, the technology could help reduce the number of severe osteoporotic fractures, improve patients’ quality of life and lower healthcare costs by enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment using imaging that is already routinely performed in dental practices.
