The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry has been awarded a grant from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) to integrate Pearl Calibrate, an AI-powered clinical calibration tool, into its educational and research programs, states a May 13, 2025, press release from Pearl. According to Pearl, this integration will empower the school’s faculty to incorporate advanced AI technology into their curricula and students to use it in preparation for their clinical work. Pearl believes that the integration of Calibrate into UCLA’s infrastructure represents a watershed moment in dental education; one that demonstrates a collective commitment to adopting innovative AI solutions to enhance instruction as well as patient care. The company expects insights from the implementation later this year.
“It is terrific to see UCLA taking a leading role in the AI-driven advancement of dental education,” says Ophir Tanz, founder and CEO of Pearl. “The ADEA grant empowers faculty and students with a tool designed specifically to foster consistency and higher standards in radiologic diagnosis––and underscores AI’s increasingly vital influence on dentistry today. In collaboration with UCLA, we are making significant strides toward a dental future where AI and human talent blend to elevate care and foster better outcomes for patients.”
“At UCLA, we are committed to embracing innovation that safely and securely advances our field,” says Paul H. Krebsbach, DDS, PhD, dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry. “Implementing this new technology aligns with our strategic imperative to leverage best-in-class digital architecture and to prepare our students to lead in the evolving landscape of dental care. I commend Dr. Sanjay Mallya, chair of our Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, for leading this initiative.”
Calibrate, which is a multi-purpose tool designed for a broad range of users, helps clinical professionals both hone their ability to evaluate dental radiographs and overcome the subjectivity that is inherent in diagnostic radiology. In addition, it can help to ensure consistency across dental industry organizations, including universities, clinics, radiology centers, and insurance providers. With its extensive internal image library and ability to upload image datasets, Calibrate enables administrators to prescribe interpretive standards and customize benchmarks—all of which can be tailored to the clinical specifications of their organizations.
