Mindflair (AIM:MFAI), the AIM-quoted investment company focused on AI-related technology, said Sure Valley Ventures' second fund (SVV2) has led a £1.7 million pre-seed round into BeCertain, a clinical AI dental diagnostics business.
Innovate UK's Investor Partnership Growth Catalyst programme also backed the round, which will fund further product development and commercialisation.
BeCertain is building an AI software assistant to help dentists interpret 2D intraoral X-rays, aiming to improve diagnostic consistency while keeping clinicians in control of decisions.
Around 20 million dental X-rays are taken in the UK each year, and interpretation of them can vary between clinicians.
The company's uncertainty-aware AI is designed to flag conditions including tooth decay, bone loss, infections and restoration defects, attaching calibrated confidence levels to its output for complex or unclear cases.
The technology stems from research led by Dr Yunpeng Li of King's College London and Professor Owen Addison, an honorary NHS consultant in restorative dentistry, with early development backed by a £1.75 million NIHR i4i Product Development Award.
"BeCertain is applying specialist AI to a clear clinical need, combining machine learning and dental expertise to support more consistent diagnosis while retaining clinician oversight," said Nicholas Lee, director of Mindflair.
He added that the funding would support the next stage of product development and commercialisation.
