Information processing device, oral environment measurement system, and program

Abstract

The system enables the automatic display of explanatory information on the user terminal's operation screen for reference when explaining measurement results to the subject. [Solution] The information processing device of the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives measurement results of multiple test items of the oral environment measured by a saliva testing device, and a display control unit that displays an operation button on the operation screen of a user terminal device for displaying explanatory information to be used when explaining the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit to the subject, and when the operation button is operated, controls the system to select explanatory information from a plurality of pre-set explanatory information to be used when explaining the measurement results to the subject, depending on the combination of whether the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit are equal to or greater than a pre-set value, and to display it on the operation screen of the user terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an oral environment measurement system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There exists an oral environment measurement system that measures a plurality of inspection items of an oral environment by a saliva inspection apparatus and displays the measurement results.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that displays saliva inspection results and a plurality of comment options, enables user input for selecting a comment, and creates an inspection result sheet on which the selected comment is described. According to the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a user (such as a dentist) can select or input a comment appropriate for providing to a subject (such as a patient) in consideration of the state of the subject (patient, etc.), and provide it to the subject (patient, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When explaining the measurement results from the oral environment measurement system described above to the subject, it is desirable for users such as dentists and dental hygienists to provide appropriate explanations to the subject according to the combination of score values ​​of multiple test items. However, the content that should be explained to the subject changes depending on the combination of score values ​​of the multiple test items. Therefore, even if multiple explanatory information is prepared in advance for each combination of measurement results of multiple test items, there is a problem in that it is difficult to know which explanatory information to select and explain based on the actual measurement results.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an information processing device, an oral environment measurement system, and a program that can automatically display explanatory information on the operation screen of a user terminal device for reference when explaining measurement results to a subject. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives measurement results of multiple test items of the oral environment measured by a saliva testing device, The system includes an operation button on the user terminal device's operation screen for displaying explanatory information used when explaining the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit to the subject, and a display control unit that, when the operation button is operated, selects explanatory information from a set of pre-configured explanatory information for reference when explaining the measurement results to the subject, depending on the combination of whether the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit are equal to or greater than a pre-configured value, and displays it on the user terminal device's operation screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the technology disclosed herein, explanatory information for reference when explaining measurement results to a subject can be automatically displayed on the operation screen of the user terminal device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of an oral environment measurement system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is the operation screen for creating a results sheet showing the measurement results from the saliva testing device 20. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server 10 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] This diagram shows all possible combinations of feedback hint information patterns. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the operation screen when operation button 70, named "Feedback Hint," is pressed. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of explanatory information that is displayed when the display button 71 labeled "Dental Health" is pressed. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of explanatory information that is displayed when the display button 72, named "Gum Health," is pressed. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of explanatory information displayed when the display button 73, named "Oral Cleanliness," is pressed. [Figure 9] This figure shows another example of the operation screen displayed when operation button 70 is pressed. [Figure 10] This figure shows another example of a display button for showing feedback hint information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] An example of an embodiment according to the technology of the present disclosure will be described below based on the drawings. Note that components and processes with the same functions may be given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant descriptions may be omitted as appropriate. Each drawing only schematically shows the technology of the present disclosure to such an extent that it can be fully understood. Therefore, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to only the illustrated examples. Also, in this embodiment, descriptions of configurations not directly related to the present disclosure and well-known configurations may be omitted.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an oral environment measurement system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the oral environment measurement system in this embodiment is composed of a management server 10, a saliva inspection device 20, and a terminal device 40 such as a personal computer. The saliva inspection device 20 is connected to the terminal device 40 by, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. Also, the terminal device 40 and the management server 10 are connected by the Internet 30.

[0014] The saliva inspection device 20 is, for example, a device that analyzes the saliva of a patient who is a subject in a dental hospital or the like. Specifically, by spotting the mouthwash water of the subject on a plurality of test paper pads on the test paper and measuring the coloring state, measurement results of a plurality of test items can be obtained. As a saliva inspection device, for example, the device described in Patent Document 2 is known.

[0015] According to the saliva inspection device 20, for example, as measurement results of a plurality of test items, a score value of "decayed tooth bacteria" indicating the amount of decayed tooth bacteria in saliva, a score value of "acidity" indicating the acidity of saliva, a score value of "buffer capacity" indicating the ability to return the acidic oral cavity to neutral, a score value of "white blood cells" indicating the amount of white blood cells in saliva, a score value of "protein" indicating the amount of protein in saliva, and a score value of "ammonia" indicating the amount of ammonia in saliva can be obtained.

[0016] Note that the score values related to dental health (decayed tooth risk) are "decayed tooth bacteria", "acidity", and "buffering capacity", the score values related to gum health (periodontal disease risk) are "white blood cells" and "protein", and the score value related to oral cleanliness (bad breath) is "ammonia".

[0017] The measurement results of the saliva inspection device 20 are transmitted to the terminal device 40 via a USB cable. The measurement results can be displayed to the subject on the terminal device 40 or printed on paper and handed to the subject.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an operation screen for creating a result sheet showing the measurement results of the saliva inspection device 20. When an operation button "Create Result Sheet" displayed at the lower right of the operation screen in FIG. 2 is operated, a result sheet in which comment contents corresponding to each saliva inspection item are determined is displayed. Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the score values of the inspection items of decayed tooth bacteria, acidity, buffering capacity, white blood cells, protein, and ammonia of a certain subject are respectively shown.

[0019] As the score value, for example, a value obtained by converting the color tone change of the test paper into a value from 0 to 100 can be used. Also, based on the measurement results of a certain number of randomly selected subjects, the score value can be evaluated by dividing it into three levels: "higher (more)", "average level", and "lower (less)".

[0020] And in this measurement result, it is shown whether the score value of each inspection item is larger or smaller compared to the average value. Note that this average value is set according to the age group, gender, etc. of the subject, and is not necessarily fixed to the value of 50.

[0021] Age and gender are input by the user's manual input. Note that for age, for example, the average value of each item is calculated from the population data for every five age groups of 3 to 12 years old, 13 to 18 years old, 19 to 39 years old, 40 to 64 years old, and 65 years old and above, and three-level determination can be made for each item.

[0022] Furthermore, depending on the content of each test item, scores greater than or less than the average are expressed as "higher" or "lower," respectively, or as "stronger" or "weaker." In addition, while Figure 2 shows whether the score is greater than or less than the average, a certain range including the average may also be displayed as the "average level."

[0023] By referring to these measurement results, users such as dentists or dental hygienists can explain the state of the oral environment to the patient (subject) based on objective values.

[0024] Furthermore, in the operation screen for the measurement results shown in Figure 2, the comment field for each test item contains comments to advise the patient on improving their oral environment. Multiple such comments are available for each test item, and the dentist or dental hygienist can change the default comment to a different one depending on the patient's condition. Thus, the operation screen includes an area for displaying the measurement results and a comment selection field.

[0025] However, if the measurement results do not match the dentist's diagnosis, dentists may struggle to decide which of the multiple comments to display with the measurement results and explain them to the patient. For example, if a patient has cavities but a low score for cavity-causing bacteria, or if a patient has bad breath but a low score for ammonia, less experienced dentists and dental hygienists, in particular, may have difficulty deciding which comment to use when explaining the situation to the patient.

[0026] Therefore, if dentists and other medical professionals prepare in advance explanatory information that provides hints for explaining the measurement results to patients, based on the measurement results from the saliva testing device 20 and the patient's current symptoms, it will be helpful when explaining the results to patients. However, it is a considerable effort for dentists and other medical professionals to select the explanatory information to explain to patients from among a large amount of information, depending on the various patterns of measurement results.

[0027] Therefore, in the oral environment measurement system of this embodiment, an operation button 70 named "Feedback Hint" is displayed on the operation screen of the measurement results shown in Figure 2. When this operation button 70 is operated, feedback hints, which are explanatory information to be referred to when explaining the measurement results to the subject, are automatically selected from a plurality of pre-set explanatory information and displayed on the operation screen. The operation when this operation button 70 is operated and specific examples of explanatory information displayed on the operation screen will be described later.

[0028] In this embodiment of the oral environment measurement system, the measurement results from the saliva testing device 20 are first transmitted to the management server 10 via the terminal device 40. The management server 10 then generates operation screen data for display on the terminal device 40 and transmits it back to the terminal device 40. The terminal device 40 then displays the operation screen sent from the management server 10, resulting in the display of the measurement results operation screen shown in Figure 2.

[0029] Next, an example of the configuration of this management server 10 is shown in the block diagram in Figure 3.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the management server 10 of this embodiment is an information processing device comprising a communication unit 11, a display control unit 12, a display unit 13, an operation panel 14, an operation control unit 15, and a data storage unit 16.

[0031] The display control unit 12 and the operation control unit 15 each include a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and perform operation control and various data processing of each part of the management server 10 according to the control program stored in the data storage unit 16.

[0032] The data storage unit 16 is accessible by the display control unit 12 and the operation control unit 15, and stores control programs for display control to the terminal device 40, operation control of each part of the management server 10, and various data for executing various data processing.

[0033] Here, the operation control unit 15 controls the overall operation of the management server 10, and the display control unit 12 controls the display on the terminal device 40.

[0034] The communication unit 11 has the function of sending and receiving data to and from the terminal device 40 via the internet 30. The communication unit 11 functions as a receiver that receives measurement results for multiple oral environment test items measured by the saliva testing device 20. The operation panel 14 receives various operations from the user performing operations on the management server 10. The display unit 13 displays various information to the user performing operations on the management server 10.

[0035] Furthermore, the data storage unit 16 stores multiple pieces of feedback hint information to be displayed on the operation screen of the terminal device 40. This feedback hint information consists of explanatory information about dental health, explanatory information about gum health, and explanatory information about oral cleanliness.

[0036] Furthermore, there are eight different patterns of explanatory information regarding dental health, depending on whether the scores for caries-causing bacteria, acidity, and buffering capacity are above or below the average value. Similarly, there are four different patterns of explanatory information regarding gum health, depending on whether the scores for white blood cells and protein are above or below the average value. In addition, there are two different patterns of explanatory information regarding oral cleanliness, depending on whether the ammonia score is above or below the average value.

[0037] Figure 4 shows all possible combinations of these feedback hint information patterns. As shown in Figure 4, there are eight different patterns for explanatory information regarding dental health, from Case 1 to Case 8. There are also four different patterns for explanatory information regarding gum health, from Case 1 to Case 4. Furthermore, there are two different patterns for explanatory information regarding oral cleanliness, Case 1 and Case 2. In total, there are 14 different patterns of explanatory information.

[0038] Next, the operation of the oral environment measurement system of this embodiment will be described.

[0039] First, the saliva testing device 20 measures multiple parameters of the oral environment by examining the subject's saliva. Then, the user terminal device 40 obtains the measurement results of the multiple parameters of the oral environment measured from the saliva testing device 20 and transmits them to the management server 10.

[0040] Then, in the management server 10, which has received the measurement results from the terminal device 40, the display control unit 12 displays operation buttons 70 on the operation screen of the terminal device 40 to display the measurement results of multiple inspection items received by the communication unit 11 and explanatory information for explaining these measurement results to the subject.

[0041] When the operation button 70 is operated, the display control unit 12 controls the system to select explanatory information from a set of pre-set explanatory information in the data storage unit 16 and display it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40, based on the combination of whether the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the communication unit 11 are above or below a pre-set average value.

[0042] Figure 5 shows an example of the operation screen when the operation button 70 named "Feedback Hints" is operated on the operation screen of the terminal device 40. Referring to Figure 5, it can be seen that when the operation button 70 is operated, the display buttons 71 named "Dental Health", 72 named "Gum Health", and 73 named "Oral Cleanliness" are displayed. In other words, the operation button 70 is essentially composed of three display buttons, 71 to 73.

[0043] Display button 71 is for displaying explanatory information about dental health. Display button 72 is for displaying explanatory information about gum health. Furthermore, display button 73 is for displaying explanatory information about oral hygiene.

[0044] Then, when the display button 71 is operated, the display control unit 12 selects explanatory information from among multiple explanatory information stored in the data storage unit 16 that corresponds to the combination of eight possible combinations of whether the caries bacteria score value, the acidity score value, and the buffering capacity score value are above or below a preset average value, and displays it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40.

[0045] Furthermore, when the display button 72 is operated, the display control unit 12 selects explanatory information from among multiple explanatory information stored in the data storage unit 16 that corresponds to the corresponding combination of four combinations of whether the white blood cell score value and the protein score value are above or below a preset average value, and displays it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40.

[0046] Furthermore, when the display button 73 is operated, the display control unit 12 selects explanatory information from among multiple explanatory information stored in the data storage unit 16, depending on whether the ammonia score value is above a preset average value, and displays it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40.

[0047] For example, Figure 6 shows an example of explanatory information that is displayed when the display button 71 named "Dental Health" is pressed.

[0048] Here, the score for caries-causing bacteria is 59, the score for acidity is 21, and the score for buffering capacity is 12. The score for caries-causing bacteria, 59, is higher than the average value of 46, so the result is "high." The score for acidity, 21, is lower than the average value of 67, so the result is "low." Furthermore, the score for buffering capacity, 12, is lower than the average value of 31, so the result is "weak."

[0049] Referring to Figure 4, the explanatory information corresponding to the combination of a "high" result for caries-causing bacteria, a "low" result for caries-causing bacteria, and a "weak" result for buffering capacity corresponds to the explanatory information for dental health case 4. Therefore, the display control unit 12 selects the explanatory information for dental health case 4, as shown in Figure 6, from among the 14 patterns of explanatory information stored in the data storage unit 16 and displays it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40. The explanatory information includes comment information separately for cases where the target symptoms are present and cases where the target symptoms are not. The explanatory information may also include comment information related to each examination item.

[0050] Furthermore, Figure 7 shows an example of explanatory information that is displayed when, for example, the display button 72 named "Gum Health" is pressed.

[0051] In this case, the white blood cell score is 91 and the protein score is 11. Since the white blood cell score of 91 is higher than the average value of 51, the result is "high". Also, since the protein score of 11 is lower than the average value of 42, the result is "low". Therefore, referring to Figure 4, the explanatory information corresponding to the combination of a white blood cell result of "high" and a protein result of "low" is the explanatory information for gum health case 2. Accordingly, the display control unit 12 selects the explanatory information for gum health case 2, as shown in Figure 7, from among all 14 patterns of explanatory information stored in the data storage unit 16 and displays it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40.

[0052] Furthermore, Figure 8 shows an example of explanatory information that is displayed when, for example, the display button 73 named "Oral Cleanliness" is pressed.

[0053] In this case, the ammonia score is 13, which is lower than the average value of 39, so the ammonia assessment result is "low." Therefore, referring to Figure 4, the explanatory information corresponding to the "low" ammonia assessment result is the explanatory information for oral cleanliness case 2. Accordingly, the display control unit 12 selects the explanatory information for oral cleanliness case 2, as shown in Figure 8, from among all 14 patterns of explanatory information stored in the data storage unit 16 and displays it on the operation screen of the terminal device 40.

[0054] The explanatory information screens shown in Figures 6 to 8 may be displayed on a separate screen from the operation screens shown in Figures 2 and 5, or they may be displayed on the same screen as the operation screens. Displaying the explanatory information on the same screen as the operation screen allows users to select comments while viewing the explanatory information, which can assist in comment selection.

[0055] Furthermore, the display control unit 12 may also reflect the selected comment information in the comment column of the results sheet when the user selects a comment from the displayed explanatory information. For example, the explanatory information screen may be provided with operation buttons corresponding to the comment information for each inspection item in the explanatory information. In addition, the comment information for each inspection item in the explanatory information may be registered in multiple comment candidates that can be selected on the operation screen. Then, when the user operates the operation button, the comment information in the explanatory information is selected and reflected in the comment column of the results sheet.

[0056] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may determine whether the saliva test results and the diagnosis results match by associating them with an electronic medical record that includes information on the patient's oral cavity diagnosis results by a dentist or the like. The display control unit 12 displays explanatory information for each case, indicating whether symptoms are present or absent, based on the determined result.

[0057] As described above, the oral environment measurement system of this embodiment automatically selects and displays the most appropriate explanatory information when explaining the measurement results from the saliva testing device 20 to the patient. Therefore, users such as dentists can explain the contents of the measurement results to the patient while referring to the explained explanatory information, so that the patient can better understand the measurement results and the condition of their own oral cavity. As a result, patients can take an interest in their own oral health, and as a result, contribute to reducing the risk of cavities, periodontal disease, etc. through daily self-care and regular visits to the dentist.

[0058] Next, Figure 9 shows another example of the operation screen displayed when the operation button 70 is operated on the operation screen of the terminal device 40 shown in Figure 2. In Figure 9, the original operation screen is grayed out, and the display buttons 71-72 are positioned in the center of the screen. By displaying only the display buttons 71-72 in the center of the screen in this way, the user can easily understand which button to operate to obtain feedback hint information.

[0059] Figure 10 shows another example of display buttons for showing feedback hints. Figure 10 shows an example of an operation screen where display buttons 81 to 83 are placed at the far right of the columns for "Dental Health," "Gum Health," and "Oral Cleanliness," respectively. In such an operation screen, when display button 81 is operated, explanatory information about dental health is displayed; when display button 82 is operated, explanatory information about gum health is displayed; and when display button 83 is operated, explanatory information about oral cleanliness is displayed.

[0060] In this embodiment, the test items related to gum health were the amount of white blood cells in saliva and the amount of protein in saliva. However, in addition to these two test items, a test item for the amount of occult blood in saliva may also be included as a test item related to gum health.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the explanatory information displayed was switched based on whether the score value of each test item was equal to or greater than a preset average value. However, the technology of this disclosure is not limited to that based on a preset average value. For example, the score value of each test item may be compared with a preset value such as a standard value or reference value, and the information may be switched based on whether or not it is equal to or greater than this preset value. In this case as well, the preset value may be set to different values ​​depending on the age, gender, etc., of the patient being tested. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Management Server 11 Communications Department 12 Display Control Unit 13 Display section 14. Control Panel 15. Operation Control Unit 16 Data Storage Unit 20 Saliva testing device 30 Internet 40 Terminal devices 70 Operation buttons 71-73 Display Buttons 81-83 Display Buttons

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives measurement results for multiple oral environment test items measured by a saliva testing device, A display control unit displays an operation button on the user terminal device's operation screen for displaying explanatory information used when explaining the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit to the subject, and when the operation button is operated, the display control unit controls the system to select explanatory information from a set of pre-configured explanatory information for reference when explaining the measurement results to the subject, depending on the combination of whether the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit are equal to or greater than a pre-configured value, and to display it on the user terminal device's operation screen. Equipped with an information processing device.

2. The measurement results of the aforementioned multiple test items include a score value indicating the amount of caries-causing bacteria in saliva, a score value indicating the acidity of saliva, a score value indicating the buffering capacity that shows the ability to return the acidic oral cavity to neutral, a score value indicating the amount of white blood cells in saliva, a score value indicating the amount of protein in saliva, and a score value indicating the amount of ammonia in saliva. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned operation button consists of a first display button for displaying explanatory information about dental health, a second display button for displaying explanatory information about gum health, and a third display button for displaying explanatory information about oral cleanliness. When the first display button is operated, the display control unit selects and displays explanatory information corresponding to the combination of eight pre-set values, indicating whether the score value indicating the amount of caries-causing bacteria in the saliva, the score value indicating the acidity of the saliva, and the score value indicating the buffering capacity that indicates the ability to return the acidic oral cavity to neutral are each equal to or greater than the pre-set value. When the second display button is operated, the system selects and displays explanatory information corresponding to the four combinations of whether the score value indicating the amount of white blood cells in the saliva and the score value indicating the amount of protein in the saliva are equal to or greater than a preset value. When the third display button is operated, the system selects and displays explanatory information depending on whether the score value indicating the amount of ammonia in the saliva is equal to or greater than a preset value. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. When a user selects comment information from the displayed explanatory information, the display control unit reflects the selected comment information in the comment field for each inspection item on the measurement result operation screen. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. A saliva testing device that measures multiple parameters of the oral environment by examining the subject's saliva, A user terminal device that acquires measurement results for multiple oral environment test items from the saliva testing device, An information processing device having: a receiving unit that receives measurement results of multiple oral environment test items measured by the saliva testing device transmitted from the user terminal device; and a display control unit that displays an operation button on the operation screen of the user terminal device for displaying explanatory information when explaining the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit to the subject, and when the operation button is operated, selects explanatory information from a plurality of pre-set explanatory information for reference when explaining the measurement results to the subject, and displays it on the operation screen of the user terminal device, depending on the combination of whether the measurement results of the multiple test items received by the receiving unit are equal to or greater than a pre-set value, An oral environment measurement system equipped with this device.

6. The steps include receiving the measurement results of multiple oral environment test items measured by a saliva testing device, A display control step is provided to display an operation button on the user terminal device's operation screen for displaying explanatory information used when explaining the measurement results of the multiple test items received to the subject, and when the operation button is operated, the system controls the system to select explanatory information from a set of pre-configured explanatory information for reference when explaining the measurement results to the subject, depending on the combination of whether the measurement results of the multiple test items received are equal to or greater than a pre-configured value, and to display it on the user terminal device's operation screen. A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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