How to Choose a Dental Product

Abstract

1. A method for selecting at least one dental product for a target consumer, comprising: a) acquiring, at a time of acquisition, with an acquisition device, at least one image (referred to as an "updated image" (Ia)) at least partially depicting the dental arch of the target consumer, and optionally, first additional information (Ic1); b) analyzing the updated image by a processing computer to determine a value (V) of at least one dental attribute related to the dental situation of the target consumer at the time of acquisition; c) selecting at least one dental product from a database (DB_Consumers) of dental products according to the value, and optionally the first additional information, and optionally second additional information (Ic2) stored in the database (DB_Consumers) before step a). a) selecting by the processing computer at least one dental product (referred to as "dental product of interest" (DP)) from a database of dental care professionals and, preferably, at least one dental care professional (referred to as "dental care professional of interest" (DCP)) from a database of dental care professionals; b) presenting a response regarding the at least one dental product of interest and, preferably, a response regarding the at least one dental care professional to the target consumer and / or delivering the at least one dental product of interest to the target consumer and / or contacting the target consumer with the dental care professional selected in step c).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for selecting a dental product. [Background technology]

[0002] There are many dental products, such as toothpastes, on the market. Generally, consumers do not always clearly know the effects of all such dental products, or the desired effects in their own unique dental situation. Therefore, consumers often choose dental products based on brand or price, without knowing whether the product is the most suitable one for their dental situation.

[0003] Therefore, maintenance of oral hygiene is not optimal, especially in the absence of dental or orthodontic treatment.

[0004] Therefore, a need exists for a method that allows the consumer to select the dental product that best suits their dental situation. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially address this need. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a method for selecting at least one dental product for a target consumer, the method comprising: a) At the time of acquisition, using the Acquisition Device, at least one image (referred to as an "updated image") that at least partially depicts the dental arch of the target consumer; and Optionally, a first additional piece of information; and To obtain b) analyzing the updated image by a processing computer to determine a value of at least one dental attribute related to the target consumer's dental condition at the time of acquisition; c) depending on said value and optionally on said first additional information and optionally on second additional information stored in a database before step a), Select at least one dental product from the dental product database (referred to as the "dental product"). selecting by said processing computer; and preferably Select at least one dental care professional from the database of dental care professionals (referred to as the "dental care professional"); selecting by said processing computer; d) presenting to the target consumer a response relating to the at least one dental product and / or a response relating to the at least one dental care professional, preferably by sending a message to the screen of the acquisition device, preferably to the screen of the mobile phone used in step a); and / or 、 delivering said at least one said dental product to said target consumer; and / or contacting said target consumer with a dental care professional, preferably the dental care professional selected in step c), preferably via video conferencing; The process includes the steps of:

[0007] As will be seen in more detail throughout the remainder of this description, the method according to the present invention allows for easy and quick selection of a dental product, and preferably a dental care professional, that is adapted to the target consumer's unique dental situation. For example, the target consumer can take a photo or video of their teeth in front of a toothpaste aisle and receive an immediate response indicating the toothpaste adapted to their dental situation, and, if necessary, a dentist. The target consumer can alternatively or additionally receive a packet containing this toothpaste.

[0008] The method according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the following optional features: the at least one said dental product is a "popular" dental product, a populace dental product being a dental product that can be suitable for a large number of individuals without requiring specific adaptation for each individual, in particular, orthodontic appliances are not populace dental products because, unlike e.g. dentifrices, they are defined, adapted and manufactured for specific individuals and circumstances, and populace dental products, unlike e.g. orthodontic appliances, are freely available for sale and do not require specialized dental, odontological and / or orthodontic training in order to be used or consumed; The at least one dental product comprises a consumable product, such as a dentifrice or solution; the at least one dental product is industrially manufactured on an automated manufacturing line; the at least one dental product is selected from dentifrices, toothbrushes, dental floss, chewing gum, interdental brushes, whitening kits, gum care products (especially for preventing inflammation or reducing sensitivity), products for preventing bad breath and oral solutions; The at least one dental product is selected from among a lip reconstruction product, a wrinkle reduction product (e.g., hyaluronic acid or a Botox kit); Step a), preferably steps a) and d), preferably steps a) to d), are at least partly, preferably entirely, performed by a dedicated application loaded into said acquisition device, The acquisition device preferably comprises: Mobile phone, or A device comprising a mirror, a camera or imaging device, an acquisition computer, and preferably a detector configured to detect the presence of a person in front of the mirror, where the mirror is preferably unidirectional and the camera is preferably hidden behind the mirror; The method comprises: Prior to step a), the dedicated application is downloaded into the mobile phone, where the download is triggered by reading a code printed on the dental product and / or on a panel located in the aisle in which the dental product is located, or In step a), detecting the target consumer in front of the mirror by the detector, and acquiring the updated image when the target consumer is detected in front of the mirror, preferably at a predetermined position; In step a), the dedicated application analyzes the content of a preview image, preferably displayed on a screen of the acquisition device, and guides the target consumer's positioning according to the results of the analysis; The additional information, i.e. the first and / or second additional information, additional information defining constraints or preferences to be imposed for the selection in step c), and / or 、 additional information defining constraints or preferences to be imposed for said presenting and / or for said passing and / or for said contacting in step c), and / or 、 Additional information defining dental goals to be achieved by the target consumer; and / or 、 Additional information relevant to the Target Consumer Including, The additional information defining the constraints is: a ceiling price, where the price of the dental product must be below the ceiling price for the dental product to be selected in step c); If the dental product comprises a consumable, such as a dentifrice or liquid, the range of the amount of the consumable, where the amount of the consumable in the dental product must be within the above range so that the dental product can be selected in step c); an upper limit time period for delivering or providing the dental product so that the dental product can be selected in step c), e.g. the target consumer indicates that he / she wants the selected dental product to be immediately available, e.g. available in the supermarket where he / she is located; a list of one or more ingredients that the dental product must not contain or must contain, so that the dental product can be selected in step c); A list of one or more technical features that the dental product must not contain or must contain so that the dental product can be selected in step c), for example, excluding or limiting to electric toothbrushes; A list of countries of manufacture where the dental product must or must not be manufactured so that the dental product can be selected in step c); A list of manufacturers where the dental product must or must not be manufactured so that the dental product can be selected in step c); A list of brands that the brand of the dental product must contain so that the dental product can be selected in step c); An upper price limit, where the price of the service by a dental care professional must be less than the upper price limit so that the dental care professional can be selected in step c); An upper time limit for making a reservation with the dental care professional so that the dental care professional can be selected in step c); A list of one or more equipment that the dental care professional must be able to use so that the dental care professional can be selected in step c); A list of one or more licenses or qualifications that the dental care professional must possess so that the dental care professional can be selected in step c); A list of one or more languages that the dental care professional must be proficient in so that the dental care professional can be selected in step c); Criteria for presenting the response in step d), for example, classifying the selected dental product in ascending or descending order of price, or by brand, or according to the level of appropriateness for the dental situation or the additional information; Criteria for delivering the one or more dental products in step d), for example, the mode of delivery, the date of delivery, the payment conditions; Criteria for contacting the dental care professional in step d), for example, the mode of communication, the date of contact, or the payment conditions Identify, and / or、 The dental goal is selected from the goals of whitening teeth, reducing tartar, and improving breath; and / or 、 The additional information related to the target consumer is: the age of the target consumer, and / or 、 the gender of the target consumer, and / or 、 One or more dental care professionals whom the target consumer already sees or sees regularly; and / or 、 whether or not the target consumer wears an orthodontic appliance, in which case the target consumer may be required in step a) to indicate the nature of the orthodontic appliance or to remove the orthodontic appliance; and / or 、 whether the target consumer is prone to a medical condition, such as having weak gums, or is allergic to a particular ingredient; and / or 、 Whether the target consumer has undergone or is undergoing or considering undergoing a particular orthodontic treatment, and if so, the target consumer may be required to specify the nature and / or duration of that orthodontic treatment and / or when that orthodontic treatment is being undergone; and / or 、 If the target consumer is currently undergoing a dental procedure to achieve a dental goal, and / or has previously used the method in connection with the dental procedure, details regarding the dental procedure; and / or whether the target consumer is satisfied with their smile, their breath, or their current dental condition; if the target consumer experiences pain, preferably by indicating the intensity of the pain, e.g. on a pain scale, and / or by indicating the location of the pain, preferably by indicating one or more dental organs; whether one or more teeth of the target consumer are sensitive to contact with hot and / or cold, preferably by indicating the one or more teeth, and / or preferably by indicating the intensity of the sensitivity, for example on an intensity scale; Identify In step a), acquisition the acquired first additional information is stored in the database, and / or the second additional information is provided by one or more additional information sources related to the target consumer and different from the acquisition device from which the first additional information is provided; In step b), the dental attributes are appearance parameters, in particular translucency indices or color parameters, in particular related to the color white, of the gums, the tongue, one or two lips, the perioral region, a tooth or a group of teeth depicted on the updated image, parameters relating to the condition of the gums, the tongue, one or both lips, the perioral area, a tooth or a group of teeth or the mouth depicted on said updated image, such as parameters relating to inflammation, the presence of tartar, breaks, wear, cracks, lack of saliva, the presence of lesions, such as caries, or dental appliances, such as orthodontic appliances; Parameters relating to the shape of the gums, tongue, one or both lips, the perioral region, a tooth or a group of teeth depicted on the updated image, such as mesial and distal deviation indicators of the incisal edge. and In step b), performing segmentation, preferably using a "segmentation" neural network, to extract a representation of at least one dental organ on said updated image; determining the value of the dental attribute by providing a representation of one of the dental organs as an input to a "valorization" neural network that is trained to provide as an output the value of the dental attribute in response to a representation of the dental organ being presented as an input; The process is carried out, In step c) a set of rules is applied to the values ​​determined in step b) and optionally to the additional information, where the set of rules is Selecting a dental product from said database of dental products in response to said value determined in step b) and optionally said additional information. choice In order to Suitable and / or a dental care professional from said database of dental care professionals. choice In order to Suitable , filtering rules, and suitable weighting rules for assigning weights to the dental products of the database of dental products and / or to the dental care professionals of the database of dental care professionals depending on the values ​​determined in step b) and optionally on the additional information. at least one rule selected from The rule is: the value determined in step b), and / or 、 said items of additional information, in particular the constraints and / or dental goals and / or preferences and / or requirements of said target consumer, and / or specific characteristics of said target consumer and / or characteristics of events preceding step a), for example characteristics relating to the reaction of said target consumer after the previous implementation of steps a) to d) and / or relating to the results of the previous implementation of steps a) to d) and / or relating to the time evolution of said values ​​determined in step c); and / or 、 a plurality of dental products and / or a plurality of dental care professionals, where the rule may concern one or more dental products and / or a plurality of dental care professionals that have in particular satisfied the prior application of other rules; and / or 、 Data independent of the target consumer Involved in the database in which the first additional information and optionally the second additional information are stored comprises a record including an identifier of the target consumer, wherein in step a) the identifier is determined by facial recognition; In step c), the selection neural network is implemented to provide as output one or more of said dental products and / or one or more of said dental care professionals depending on the value determined in step b) and optionally on the additional information introduced at the input of the selection neural network, In step d), depending on the value determined in step c), for example only if caries is detected or if the value determined in step c) is greater than or less than a threshold value, contact is brought between the target consumer and a dental care professional, preferably by video conference, preferably immediately, The processing computer in step b) Measuring the value of the dental attribute on the updated image, and / or 、 segmenting the updated image and measuring the value of the dental attribute on a segment of the updated image; Programmed for the values ​​of the dental attributes qualify or quantify the target consumer's general dental condition, and / or the condition of the orthodontic appliances depicted on the updated image, and / or the condition of the target consumer's teeth and / or gums depicted on the updated image, and / or the oral hygiene of the target consumer; the additional information includes data relating to the target consumer that cannot be determined by analysis of the updated image; Prior to step c), the processing computer assesses the reaction of the target consumer after a previous step d), and then in step c) selects the one or more dental products and / or the one or more dental care professionals depending on the assessment of the reaction; Prior to step d), a company comprising a centralized computer programmed to carry out at least steps c) and d) selects and / or sets said rules from a plurality of requests, preferably sent by a plurality of target consumers, preferably using their mobile phones, each including a value of said at least one dental attribute, In one embodiment, the processing computer is integrated into the acquisition device, in particular the mobile phone, In one embodiment, the processing computer may be remote from the acquisition device, in particular from the mobile phone, in particular at an assessment center with which the acquisition device communicates, the assessment center preferably processing requests issued from more than 100, more than 500, more than 5,000, more than 10,000, preferably more than 100,000 target consumers.

[0009] The invention also relates to a system comprising an acquisition device, preferably a mobile phone, and a processing computer, adapted to carry out steps a) and d) and steps b), c), respectively.

[0010] The present invention also relates to: A computer program, in particular a dedicated application for a mobile phone, comprising program code instructions for carrying out steps a), and / or b), and / or c), and / or d), when said program is executed by a computer, a computer medium on which such a program is stored, such as a computer memory or a CD-ROM; and Such programs are loaded onto computers, especially mobile phones.

[0011] definition "Target consumer" is understood to mean any person on whom the method according to the invention is carried out, whether that person is ill or not.

[0012] "Dental practice" encompasses any practice where a dental care professional, particularly a dentist, hygienist, or professional specializing in orthodontics or periodontics, works, or any store where a consumer can, among other things, have their teeth whitened.

[0013] A "dental situation" defines a set of features relating to a person's dental arch at a certain point in time, such as the position of the teeth at that point in time, their shape, their color, the position of orthodontic appliances, the presence of inflammation, etc.

[0014] A "dental organ" is an element inside the mouth, particularly a tooth or a gum.

[0015] A "mobile phone" is understood to mean any portable device that enables the taking of photographs or videos and that can communicate via a mobile phone network.

[0016] An "image" is understood to mean a two-dimensional digital depiction, such as an image extracted from a photograph or a video. The image is formed by pixels.

[0017] A "preview image" is an image captured by a camera or an imaging device that is not acquired, i.e., not stored in memory. By triggering the acquisition, the preview image is stored. The preview image may or may not be displayed, for example, on the screen of a mobile phone.

[0018] "Segmentation" of an image is a conventional operation for defining an area of the image that meets a certain criterion or that results from a ("segment") process. For example, a photograph of a dental arch can be segmented to define the area of this image that depicts the teeth or the "tooth area". The segment is an independent entity in that it can, for example, be individually selected.

[0019] The "tooth area" of an image is the part of the image that depicts substantially only teeth, i.e., that traces the contour of the teeth on the image. In other words, the depiction of the teeth on the image is substantially 100% of the tooth area.

[0020] An "angle" is the orientation of the optical axis of a camera or an imaging device, such as a mobile phone, with respect to the target consumer when acquiring a photograph.

[0021] Objects or people, such as dental products or dental care professionals, have physical properties. When they are referenced in a database or selected or weighted, this involves the computer records of the objects or people being referenced or selected or weighted. However, for the sake of brevity, these records are referred to by those objects or people. For example, the "dental products" database contains records related to dental products. If a "dental product is weighted", a weight is given to that record. If the selection neural network "provides" one or more of the dental products and / or dental care professionals as output, it provides records related to those dental products and dental care professionals. From the context, it becomes possible to determine whether the reference to the object or person refers to the object or person or to a computer record related to the object or person.

[0022] Methods according to the present invention are computer-implemented, and preferably exclusively computer-implemented.

[0023] "Computer" refers to a computer processing unit, including a set of machines with computing capabilities. This unit can be, in particular, a mobile phone, or a PC-type computer or a tablet computer. When the unit comprises multiple machines, the machines include communication means for interacting with each other. The computer can be a server remote from the target consumer, for example, a "cloud" or a server in an "assessment center."

[0024] Conventionally, the computer comprises in particular a processor, a memory, a human machine interface, conventionally comprising a screen, and a module for communicating via the Internet, via Wi-Fi, via Bluetooth™ or via a telephone network. Software adapted to implement steps b), c) and d) is preferably loaded into the memory of the processing computer. The computer can also be connected to a printer.

[0025] A "neural network" or "artificial neural network" is a set of algorithms known to those skilled in the art. A "training database" is a database of computer records suitable for training a neural network.

[0026] To be operational, a neural network is conventionally trained by a learning method called "deep learning" from a training database that conventionally contains information about two types of objects that the neural network must learn to match.

[0027] The training can be from a learning database of records each including a first object of a first type and a corresponding second object of a second type, the first objects being presented as inputs to the neural network and the second objects being output from the neural network, thereby enabling the neural network to learn from any object of the first type to provide a corresponding object of the second type.

[0028] For example, the neural network can be provided with a set of records, each including an image (first object) and the dental product (second object) selected for that image, thereby configuring the neural network to provide the dental product as an output when presented with an updated image as an input.

[0029] For example, each record in the training database may include an image of a dental arch and a description identifying a representation of the teeth, or "tooth area," in the image and the corresponding tooth number. Thus, once trained, the neural network is able to identify the representation of the teeth and the corresponding tooth number on a presented image.

[0030] The second object may be an image, in particular an image identical to the first object but which has been "labeled", i.e. to which information, in particular the values ​​of dental attributes, has been added, for example in graphic form.

[0031] Training a neural network is suitable for the intended purposes and poses no particular difficulty to one skilled in the art.

[0032] "Comprising," "including," and "presenting" should be understood in a broad, non-limiting manner unless otherwise indicated. Similarly, selection of a dental product or a dental care professional does not preclude selection of several dental products and / or several dental care professionals. Obtaining an updated image does not preclude obtaining multiple updated images.

[0033] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an implementation of the method according to the invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates the use of a dental mouth opener. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] The object of the method according to the invention is the selection of one or more dental products, preferably chosen among dentifrices, toothbrushes, dental floss, chewing gums, interdental brushes, whitening kits, gum care products (especially for preventing inflammation or reducing sensitivity), products for preventing bad breath and oral liquids.

[0036] The dental product may be selected from among a lip reconstructing product or a wrinkle reduction product.

[0037] The method comprises the steps mentioned above. It is hereinafter described in detail in a specific, non-limiting case where a mobile phone is used for step a). Except in cases where technical contradictions arise, the features described with respect to this specific case are applicable to other acquisition devices.

[0038] Prior to step a), a dedicated application is loaded onto the target consumer's mobile phone.

[0039] The target consumers may receive advertisements, for example on their phones, for example on social networks, encouraging them to download the dedicated application.

[0040] The consumer may also download the proprietary application after being encouraged to do so by someone.

[0041] Preferably, the dedicated application is downloaded via the Internet, in particular it can be downloaded from the Apple store or from the Google store.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the download is triggered by using the mobile phone to read a code, preferably a QR code, which may in particular be printed on the packaging of the dental products and / or on a panel located in the aisle where the dental products are located.

[0043] Preferably, if the dedicated application is already loaded on the mobile phone, a message, for example an SMS, is sent to the target consumer, inviting him to carry out the method of the present invention. Sending this message is particularly useful if the target consumer has indicated, during a previous implementation of the method, that he wishes to achieve a dental goal. A coaching program can then be set up that provides dates for carrying out the method in order to achieve that dental goal. Reminders are sent to the target consumer accordingly.

[0044] In step a), after launching the dedicated application, an operator, preferably the target consumer or any person close to the target consumer, uses the mobile phone to acquire at least one updated image Ia (see FIG. 1 ), depicting at least a portion of one dental arch of the target consumer. Step a) is preferably performed by the target consumer. Step a) can advantageously be performed remotely from any dental practice location, for example in the target consumer's home or in a shop or pharmacy where dental products are offered for sale or where teeth whitening can be performed.

[0045] Preferably, the updated image is a photograph, preferably in true color, that depicts the target consumer's mouth, particularly in the same color, as it would appear generally when viewed by an operator in the same location as the mobile phone. In one embodiment, the updated image is extracted from a video.

[0046] The updated image is preferably an extra-oral image, preferably taken from a distance of 5cm to 40cm from the target consumer's mouth.

[0047] In one embodiment, the target consumer pulls their lips apart to reveal their teeth. The target consumer can simply smile, or pull their lips back with their fingers, or push their lips back with a tool, such as a spoon, or use a conventional dental mouth opener as shown in FIG. 2. A dental mouth opener is a well-known device with a channel 12 that extends around an opening 14. The target consumer places their lips into the channel, which allows the lips to be pulled apart, improving the view of the dental arch through the opening.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, no dental mouth tool is used in step a).The target consumer can advantageously carry out the method at any time with their mobile phone.

[0049] In one embodiment, the dedicated application guides the operator when to position the mobile phone. For this purpose, the dedicated application analyzes the content of the preview image displayed on the screen of the mobile phone, preferably using a neural network, to determine whether the angle of the mobile phone and / or the distance between the mobile phone and the mouth of the target consumer allows an updated image to be obtained that is sufficiently suitable for the analysis performed in step b). If this is not the case, the dedicated application informs the operator and preferably provides him with instructions to correct the angle and / or the distance.

[0050] Preferably, the dedicated application activates the front camera, i.e., the camera on the same side of the mobile phone as the screen, so that the target consumer can view the preview image before capturing the updated image himself, and therefore can better position the mobile phone relative to the tooth he wants to photograph.

[0051] In one embodiment, the target consumer uses a rear camera in conjunction with a flash.

[0052] In step a), the mobile phone can also acquire additional information, preferably information that cannot be deduced from the analysis of the updated image, or that can be deduced therefrom only with difficulty. The additional information acquired in step a) is referred to as "first additional information" (reference "Ic1" in FIG. 1).

[0053] The first additional information can be sent directly to the processing computer performing step 2) and / or can be recorded together with an identifier of the target consumer or the mobile phone in a "DB_Consumers" database that the processing computer can access to perform step c).

[0054] The target consumer's identifier can be entered by the target consumer. In one embodiment, a facial recognition algorithm identifies the target consumer, without the target consumer having to interact with their mobile phone.

[0055] Consulting the "DB_Consumers" database advantageously avoids the need to ask the target consumers questions during later steps a)-d) whose answers are already known.

[0056] The "DB_Consumers" database can be located remotely from the mobile phone, for example at an assessment center with which the mobile phone communicates.

[0057] The "DB_Consumers" database can also preferably be fed from other additional information sources, for example, from a database of the store in which the target consumer is located, listing the target consumer's previous purchases. The additional information resulting from such other information sources is referred to as "second additional information" (reference "Ic2" in FIG. 1). The first and second additional information are collectively referred to as additional information Ic.

[0058] The additional information may specify particular constraints that the target consumer wants to impose on the selection in step c).

[0059] The constraints can be the exclusion of certain dental products or certain dental care professionals, for example, by specifying: Regarding the dental products likely to be selected: Price ceiling; If the dental product comprises a consumable, such as a toothpaste or liquid, the range of amounts of the consumable; A period of time during which the target consumer passes, e.g., the target consumer indicates that he or she wants the selected dental product to be immediately available, e.g., available at the supermarket where he or she is located; a list of one or more ingredients that the potential dental product must or must not contain; a list of one or more features that the dental product to be selected must or must not include, e.g., excluding electric toothbrushes or being limited to electric toothbrushes; a list of manufacturing countries that should be excluded or prioritized; a list of manufacturers in the country of manufacture that should be excluded or prioritized; With regard to the dental care professional likely to be selected: maximum price for consultation; an upper limit distance from the location of an object or person relative to the location of the target consumer, e.g., at the time of acquisition of step a); Availability of time, e.g. appointment is available within a period less than the capped period; ownership of certain equipment; A list of one or more dental care professionals to be excluded or from which the selection of step c) is to be made.

[0060] The additional information may also specify how often the dental product can be offered or the subscription methodology (e.g., 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year) for the service to supply the dental product.

[0061] The additional information can also specify one or more "dental" goals in addition to the single requirement identified from the updated image. For example, the dental goal can be "whitening teeth" or "reducing dental plaque", or "reducing tartar", or "reducing soft tissue inflammation", or "improving breath", or "correcting / improving tooth alignment", or "improving the overall appearance of a smile", or "reducing snoring and / or sleep apnea" or "improving chewing", or "improving the shape of the lips", or "improving the appearance of the perioral region".

[0062] The additional information can specify the preferences of the target consumer, particularly for classifying the dental product and / or the dental care professional. For example, the target consumer can specify that they prefer an electric toothbrush over a manual toothbrush, or that they prefer one dental care professional over another. Unlike constraints, preferences are not mandatory. An undesirable dental product or dental care professional can be selected.

[0063] Finally, the additional information can include characteristics of the target consumer, such as the age of the target consumer; the gender of the target consumer; whether the target consumer is wearing a dental orthotic appliance, in which case the target consumer may be required to specify the nature of the dental orthotic appliance; whether the target consumer is prone to certain medical conditions, such as having fragile gums; whether the target consumer has received, is receiving, or is considering receiving a particular dental correction treatment, in which case the target consumer may be required to specify the nature and / or the duration and / or when the target consumer is receiving the dental correction treatment; and / or 、 whether the target consumer is currently receiving dental treatment to achieve a dental goal, and / or whether the method has been used previously in relation to the dental treatment, details regarding the dental treatment; whether the target consumer is experiencing pain, particularly pain associated with hot or cold, and / or the scale of the perceived pain, and / or the location of the perceived pain; may include.

[0064] The additional information is preferably at least partially entered into the mobile phone, preferably by presenting the target consumer with a list of options or questions, for example in the form of checkboxes.

[0065] In step b), a processing computer analyses the updated image and any optional additional information acquired by the mobile phone or, more generally, available in the DB_Consumers database.

[0066] Preferably, the processing computer is an assessment center computer remote from the mobile phone that centralizes the processing of requests originating from a plurality of target consumers. Preferably, it receives requests from more than 1,000, more than 10,000, preferably more than 50,000, more preferably more than 100,000 target consumers.

[0067] In this latter case, a request is made by the dedicated application loaded on the mobile phone. This request includes the updated image obtained in step a) and optionally at least a part of the first additional information. The request is transmitted by the mobile phone to the processing computer. Any known communication means can be used for this purpose. In particular, the transmission can be performed by the mobile phone network to which the mobile phone is subscribed. Conventionally, the request also includes information allowing the origin of the request to be identified, for example the identifier of the target consumer, "ID_consumer".

[0068] In one embodiment, the processing computer is the mobile phone, which means that no request needs to be sent.

[0069] The processing computer analyzes the updated images to assess the dental condition of the target consumer. Values ​​of attributes related to the dental condition of the target consumer, or "dental attributes," allow this assessment to be quantified. Preferably, the processing computer determines values ​​of a plurality of dental attributes to improve the quality of the assessment of the dental condition.

[0070] The dental attributes may in particular be selected from the following list: appearance parameters, in particular translucency index or color or texture or homogeneity parameters (presence of discolourations) of the gums, tongue, one or two lips, perioral area, tooth or group of teeth depicted on said updated image; Or, a parameter relating to the condition of the tongue, one or both lips, the perioral area, the gums, a tooth or a group of teeth depicted on the updated image, e.g. inflammation, recession, the presence of tartar, damage, wear, cracks, lesions such as caries, or the presence of a dental appliance, e.g. an orthodontic appliance; Or, Parameters relating to the shape of the gingiva, tongue, lips, perioral area, tooth or group of teeth depicted on the updated image, such as mesial and distal deviation indicators of the incisal edge.

[0071] The dental attributes can be absolute, e.g., related to the whiteness of one or more teeth. Alternatively, the dental attributes can be relative, e.g., related to the color difference between two teeth, the gap between two adjacent teeth, or the average gap between the teeth depicted on the updated image.

[0072] Determining the value of the dental attribute may also require a comparison criterion that cannot be derived from the updated image. For example, the dental attribute may relate to a previous situation of the target consumer. The comparison criterion may, for example, be the value of the dental attribute assessed during a previous stage of steps a)-d). For example, the dental attribute may be an assessment of the evolution of the color or position of one or more teeth since the previous stage.

[0073] The dental attribute may relate to a standard dental situation, for example determined by statistical processing of previously measured data. For example, the dental attribute may be an assessment of the difference in shape from a standard model, for example a typodont. It may measure, for example, the difference in tooth width, in particular mesial palate width, thickness, or crown height from the standard model.

[0074] The dental attribute can be general. For example, the value of the dental attribute can be: "Generally acceptable dental conditions" or "Generally unacceptable dental conditions", or "Intact orthodontic appliances" or "Damaged orthodontic appliances" It can be.

[0075] The dental attributes are Boolean, i.e., they can take only two values, e.g., "acceptable color" or "unacceptable color." The value of a dental attribute can also be quantitative. For example, the value of a dental attribute can define the degree to which a tooth has moved, worn down, or changed appearance compared to a previous dental situation.

[0076] If the dental attribute relates to a particular dental organ, such as a particular tooth, then the analysis must obviously also determine that particular dental organ.

[0077] The analysis of the updated images can be performed manually, preferably by a dental care professional. Preferably, the analysis can be performed by computer analysis. Those skilled in the art are aware of applicable methods for analyzing images.

[0078] For example, a method for carrying out the following operations can be cited: Compare histograms (CalcBackProjectPatch, OTSU function); Measure the difficulty of transforming a normalized grayscale image into another image (EMD function); Compare to a template, which can be a contour extracted from the image (template match function); Calculate the contour moments via Green's formula; Calculate the invariant moments of the contour via Hu's formula; Compare textures via descriptors (HOG, LBP, Haar); Compare key points extracted from the images (SIFT / SURF / FREAK / ORB / ASIFT / AGAST functions etc); Compare Fourier transforms (DFT, FFT).

[0079] In particular, the analysis of step b) preferably includes a pre-processing step involving segmenting the updated image to determine depicted elements (or "segments"), such as tooth regions, gum regions, or orthodontic appliance regions. Such segmentation methods are well known. In particular, the use of neural networks, or "segmentation neural networks", is preferred.

[0080] For example, a dedicated network in segmentation is: Deep Mask (learns to refine object segments); Mask-RCNN; MaskLab (instance segmentation by refining object detection with semantic and directional features); Fully convolutional instance-aware semantic segmentation.

[0081] Preferably, the segmentation neural network is the Mask R-CNN network, such a neural network being described in particular in "Mask R-CNN.CoRR", abs / 1703.06870, 2017, Kaiming He, Georgia Gkioxari, Piotr Doll'ar, and Ross B. Girshick.

[0082] A training database for training the segmentation neural network can be conventionally created manually by tracing and identifying all tooth depictions that appear in past photographs. Each record in the training database then includes a past photograph and a description of that photograph that identifies each of the regions (or "masks") in the past photograph that cover the tooth depictions. For training, each past photograph is provided to the input of the neural network, and its description is provided to the output of the neural network. The neural network thus learns to identify tooth regions on the photographs that are presented as input.

[0083] Segmentation results in a segmented image, and then the value of the dental attribute can be measured on the segment. For example, after identifying the tooth region of tooth number 3, i.e., the surface of the updated image that depicts this tooth, the processing computer can measure the color (dental attribute) of this tooth and determine that it is "normal" (the value of the dental attribute).

[0084] Determining the dental attributes preferably uses an artificial intelligence algorithm, in particular at least one neural network trained for this purpose. These algorithms are well known. In particular, the neural network called "valorization neural network" can be chosen from the following: Networks specialized for image classification, called "CNNs" ("Convolutional Neural Networks"), for example: AlexNet (2012); ZF Net (2013); VGG Net (2014); GoogleNet (2015); Microsoft ResNet (2015); Caffe:BAIR Reference CaffeNet, BAIR AlexNet; Torch: VGG_CNN_S, VGG_CNN_M, VGG_CNN_M_2048, VGG_CNN_M_1024, VGG_CNN_M_128, VGG_CNN_F, VGG ILSVRC-2014 16 layers, VGG ILSVRC-2014 19 layers, Network-in-Network(Imagenet & CIFAR-10); Google:Inception(V3, V4). Object detection networks, which are networks dedicated to locating and detecting objects in images, e.g.: R-CNN (2013); SSD (Single Shot MultiBox Detector: object detection network), Faster R-CNN (Faster Region-based Convolutional Network method: object detection network); Faster R-CNN (2015); SSD (2015); OverFeat (Sermanet et al.), 2013; GoogleNet (Szegedy et al.), 2015; VGGNet (Simonyan and Zisserman), 2014; R-CNN (Girshick et al.), 2014; Fast R-CNN (Girshick et al.), 2015; ResNet (He et al.), 2016; Faster R-CNN (Ren et al.), 2016; FPN (Lin et al.), 2016; YOLO (Redmon et al.), 2016; SSD (Liu et al.), 2016; ResNet v2 (He et al.), 2016; R-FCN (Dai et al.), 2016; ResNeXt (Lin et al.), 2017; DenseNet (Huang et al.), 2017; DPN (Chen et al.), 2017; YOLO9000 (Redmon and Farhadi), 2017; Hourglass (Newell et al.), 2016; MobileNet (Howard et al.), 2017; DCN (Dai et al.), 2017; RetinaNet (Lin et al.), 2017; Mask R-CNN (He et al.), 2017; RefineDet (Zhang et al.), 2018; Cascade RCNN (Cai et al.), 2018; NASNet (Zoph et al.), 2019; CornerNet (Law and Deng), 2018; FSAF (Zhu et al.), 2019; SENet (Hu et al.), 2018; ExtremeNet (Zhou et al.), 2019; NAS-FPN (Ghiasi et al.), 2019; Detnas (Chen et al.), 2019; FCOS (Tian et al.), 2019; CenterNet (Duan et al.), 2019; EfficientNet (Tan and Le), 2019; AlexNet (Krizhevsky et al.), 2012.

[0085] This list is not restrictive.

[0086] Preferably, the paralyzed neural network is a VGG Net network.

[0087] Preferably, the paralyzed neural network is trained using a training database typically containing more than 10,000, preferably more than 50,000, preferably more than 100,000 records, each record including a past image of a "past" dental arch, preferably a photograph, and a "past" description providing values for one or more dental attributes.

[0088] Each past image is presented to the input of the neural network, and the past explanations are presented to the output of the neural network, which thus learns to determine the explanation that corresponds to the photograph presented as input.

[0089] In one embodiment, the analysis uses only the information provided by the updated image.

[0090] The applicant has developed a method, described in EP 18184477, implementing an artificial intelligence algorithm, preferably a neural network, allowing the dental situation of the target consumer to be assessed from a simple updated image of the dental arch of the target consumer, for example a photo taken by the target consumer with his / her mobile phone.

[0091] Multiple neural networks can be trained, each to determine the value of a respective dental attribute. For example, if the dental goal is to select at least one product to improve breath, a neural network can be trained to determine the value of one or more of the following dental attributes: presence of tartar, presence of plaque, presence of pale tongue, lack of saliva. Each of these dental attributes is in fact an indicator of bad breath.

[0092] In step c), the processing computer selects one or more dental products and / or dental care professionals that are appropriate to the dental situation and additional information relevant to the target consumer.

[0093] In particular, the processing computer is capable of selecting the one or more dental products from a database of dental products "DB_dental products" depending on the dental attribute values ​​V determined in step b) and on the additional information Ic that can be retrieved from the "DB_Consumers" database by applying rules. If a dental product satisfies a set of rules, it is designated as "suitable".

[0094] The rule may be a filter that determines whether a dental product matches the one or more dental attribute values ​​and the additional information determined in step b).

[0095] A rule may involve the dental status of the target consumer, i.e. the value of at least one dental attribute, for example "If the dental attribute value is 'Presence of tartar', then select the following dental products:..." or "If the target consumer wears orthodontic appliances, then select dental products exclusively from the following list:..." or "If the target consumer regularly experiences gingivitis, then select dental products exclusively from the following list:...".

[0096] A rule may be accompanied by a constraint that is included in the additional information, for example, "select exclusively dental products whose price is less than a maximum price if a maximum price is defined in the constraint."

[0097] A rule may involve a dental goal, for example, "If the dental goal is 'improve breath' then select dental products specifically from the following list:...".

[0098] A rule may involve the preferences or requirements of the target consumer, for example, "If the target consumer requires a manual toothbrush, select specifically a toothbrush from the following list:...", or "If the target consumer requires a consumable product in a volume of 500ml, select specifically a dental product from the following list:...".

[0099] Rules can involve specific characteristics of the target consumer, for example, "If the target consumer is under 15 years old, then select exclusively dental products with less than XXX mg of fluoride."

[0100] The rules may involve dental products already selected during the same step c), for example "If dental product XX is still considered likely to be suitable, then exclude the following dental products:...".

[0101] The rule may involve one or more events prior to step a), for example: Prior to the selection of the dental product, "If dental product XXX has been selected pursuant to a previous request, select a dental product exclusively from the following list:..."; the reaction of the target consumer after a response sent to the target consumer upon a previous execution of the method according to the invention, for example, purchase or non-purchase of the dental product then proposed: "If dental product YY was selected and not purchased according to a previous execution of the method, then select dental products exclusively from the following list:...", or "If the target consumer did not purchase the dental products selected according to a previous execution of the method, then those dental products cannot be selected as dental products"; the frequency with which the target consumer performs the method according to the present invention, e.g., "If the target consumer performs the method more than once a month, select exclusively dental products from the following list:..."; the progress of the dental situation of the target consumer, e.g. "If the value of dental attribute AA is progressing more than x% per month in the positive direction, select exclusively dental products from the following list:...";

[0102] In one embodiment, the response can be assessed by analyzing the updated images. In particular, failure to purchase the dental product proposed in response to a previous request can sometimes be inferred from analysis of a single updated image or successive updated images.

[0103] A rule may involve one or more data items unrelated to the target consumer, or “external data”, such as one or more reference data items, such as: Sales data, e.g., "If the target consumer is in the social class XXX, select dental products exclusively from the following list:..."; Statistical data derived, for example, from statistical processing of other target consumers' reactions to responses generated in accordance with the present invention, e.g.: "Exclude dental products if other target consumers who are generally in the target consumer's age range and the same gender as the target consumer have not purchased dental product XX at the time that product is selected."

[0104] The external data can also be data related to the updated time point, for example: "If the updated time point is in the range of day D1 and day D2, select exclusively dental products sold with the promotional activity."

[0105] The rule may involve several variables, such as a dental goal and an event prior to step a), for example: "If the dental goal is 'improving breath' and dental product YY was selected and purchased pursuant to a previous execution of the method, then select dental products exclusively from the following list:...".

[0106] The rules have a filtering function, i.e., rendering dental products from the database of dental products irrelevant. Exclusive application of the "filtering" rules can result in an empty set (no such dental products), or a set containing some dental products, or even too many such dental products.

[0107] Preferably, the rules include one or more rules with a weighting function. The "weighting" rule can assign or modify a weight to one or more dental products in the database of dental products, thereby allowing the dental products to be classified according to their suitability.

[0108] Instead of, for example, a filtering rule excluding a dental product, an equivalent weighting rule assigns it a low weight. Instead of restricting the selection to an exclusive list of dental products, the weighting rule assigns it a high weight. The weighting rule advantageously allows a more accurate assessment of the suitability of the dental product. A dental product is no longer 100% suitable or unsuitable, but is up to x% suitable, where x is between 0 and 100%.

[0109] An example of a weighting rule is: "If the dental attribute value is 'presence of dental tartar', assign a weight P1 to the following dental product: (...), and assign a weight P2 to the following dental product: (...)"; "If a price ceiling is defined in the constraint, assign a weight determined according to the difference between the price of the dental product and said price ceiling"; "If the dental goal is 'improving breath', assign increasing weights depending on the mint flavoring content"; "If the target consumer prefers manual toothbrushes, assign a weight of 90% to manual toothbrushes and a weight of 5% to electric toothbrushes"; "If dental product XXX was selected according to a previous run of the method, assign the following weights (...) to the following dental products (...), respectively"; "If dental product YY was selected and not purchased according to a previous run of the method, assign a weight of x% to that dental product"; "If the value of dental attribute AA is evolving more than x% per month in the positive direction, assign the following weights (...) to each of the following dental products (...)"; "If the target consumer is in the social class XXX, assign the following weights (...) to the following dental products (...) respectively"; "Generally speaking, if other target consumers who are within the target consumer's age range and the same gender as the target consumer have not purchased dental product XX at the time the product is selected, assign a weight... to it"; "If the updated time is between days D1 and D2, assign weights...to dental products sold with promotions."

[0110] Application of the rules allows one or more of the dental products to be selected from the database of dental products.

[0111] The database of dental products from which the dental product is selected preferably includes records for more than 100, more than 500, or more than 1,000, more than 5,000, or more than 10,000 dental products, and / or less than 1,000,000 dental products.

[0112] Each record conventionally includes an identifier for a respective dental product and a set of values ​​for the variables involved in the rule.

[0113] For example, a record for a dental product may include values ​​for the following variables: identifier; brand; Manufacturer; Country of manufacture; Abrasive; Whitening properties; the amount of consumables, for example toothpaste; the composition of the consumable, for example a dentifrice; For example, the hardness of a toothbrush; Density of toothbrush bristles; Nature of packaging; price; Whether or not a promotion is in progress; Availability or delivery period; A list of other non-compliant dental products; Characteristics of consumers who purchase the dental products most frequently; Affected markets or regions; Regulatory display.

[0114] The record may also include information related to the dental product and not included in the rules, such as instructions for use.

[0115] The use of rules is a "deterministic" approach, ie the rules are always applied in the same way.

[0116] Alternatively, the dental products of the database of dental products can be filtered and / or weighted using a neural network called a "selection neural network". For this purpose, the selection neural network is trained by presenting as input a set comprising one or more dental attribute values ​​determined in step b) and optionally additional information, and as output respective selections of dental products, preferably assigned respective weights determined for example by the rules and / or human expertise. The neural network thus learns to provide a selection of dental products for a set of such values ​​determined for step a).

[0117] In one embodiment, the selection neural network is trained by presenting as input a set each including one or more images and optionally additional information, and as output respective selections of dental products, preferably assigned respective weights determined, for example, by the rules, such that the selection neural network learns to provide a selection of dental products for one or more images.

[0118] The selected neural network is preferably selected from among a CNN or a fully connected classification neural network.

[0119] Preferably, the dedicated application can be configured to define an upper limit number of dental products in the selection. If the rules or the selection neural network result in a number of dental products greater than this upper limit, a final filter can be applied to retain only a portion of the dental products. The selection of the retained dental products can be arbitrary. Preferably, the rules or the selection neural network allow the dental products to be weighted according to their suitability for the dental situation of the target consumer and the additional information. The final filter then retains the one or more dental products that are assigned the highest weight.

[0120] As an alternative to a selection neural network, a simple decision algorithm can be implemented.

[0121] Selection of a dental care professional from a database of dental care professionals can be performed in a similar manner as selection of a dental product from the database of dental products.

[0122] A dental care professional's record may include values ​​for the following variables, for example: Identifiers, such as name and given name; Specialty / Certification; equipment; address; Languages ​​spoken; Clinic hours; sex; age; Identification of one or more products that the dental care professional is capable of providing; For example, a rating given by a target consumer who has been seen by the dental care professional.

[0123] A rule or selection neural network may be used to select a dental care professional depending on the values ​​of the dental attributes and / or additional information, as described above with respect to the selection of dental products.

[0124] In step d), a response is presented to the target consumer to recommend to the consumer the one or more selected dental products, and preferably provide the target consumer with instructions for their use.

[0125] If the processing computer is not integrated in the mobile phone, the response is sent by the processing computer to the mobile phone, preferably using the mobile phone network. The response is preferably a message, for example an SMS or an email.

[0126] The response is then displayed on the mobile phone. Advantageously, therefore, the target consumer receives a quick response to their request that is well suited to their dental situation.

[0127] Preferably, if multiple dental products are selected and respective weights are assigned, they are preferably displayed according to their appropriateness, for example by displaying the most relevant dental products at the top of the response.

[0128] Preferably, the response includes a recommendation, preferably determined depending on the one or more dental products, and preferably depending on the value of the dental attribute. The recommendation may be derived from records in the database of dental products. Preferably, the recommendation includes information regarding the use of the dental product and / or the method, for example by recommending the next date for performing the method.

[0129] The response may also include information regarding one or more of the dental care professionals.

[0130] Preferably, particularly if the target consumer has input that they wish to achieve a certain dental goal, the response may inform the target consumer of the date the method is next scheduled to be performed and / or the percentage of the method's progress towards reaching the dental goal.

[0131] In one embodiment, a package containing the one or more selected dental products is prepared and sent to the target consumer, and preferably a message is sent to the cell phone to notify the consumer that the package has been sent.

[0132] In one embodiment, the target consumer subscribes and is invited at regular intervals to perform a method according to the invention, whereby the target consumer periodically receives a parcel containing, for example, a new toothbrush and a new toothpaste that are more suited to his or her dental situation at the time of the acquisition.

[0133] In one embodiment, depending on the dental situation assessed in step b), the dedicated application can automatically contact a dental care professional, e.g. for a consultation by video conference, or can recommend a dental care professional, preferably the dental care professional, preferably selected depending on the dental situation assessed in step b) and / or geographical proximity to the target consumer.

[0134] As is now clearly evident, the method of the present invention allows the target consumer to automatically obtain advice for purchasing a dental product or for selecting a dental care professional, which advice is advantageously personalized since it relies on the updated image and additional information that allows the target consumer to specify his or her needs.

[0135] It is therefore possible for the target consumer, without being a dental product expert, to select a dental product that is well suited to their situation.

[0136] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated above.

[0137] In one embodiment, the database of dental products includes only records for dental products that are intended solely to improve the dental condition.

[0138] In another embodiment, the database of dental products further comprises records for dental products that are not exclusively intended to improve the dental condition, i.e., have no curative or preventive effect. For example, the database can comprise records relating to foods that are beneficial to consume under certain circumstances, e.g., depending on the value of a dental attribute, and / or depending on another selected dental product, and / or depending on the dental goal to be achieved.

[0139] For example, if a dental goal of "improve breath" is set, then a particular food product can be recommended. For example, a rule can be established that reads: "If a dental goal of 'improve breath' is set, then the following dental products (...) including food (...) are selected." Records related to foods can include instructions for preparing the food.

[0140] Furthermore, acquisition devices other than mobile phones can be used for step a).

[0141] In one embodiment, the acquisition device, and preferably the processing computer, is fixed relative to the ground, preferably within a store, such as a supermarket, where the target consumer is preferably located, preferably near the dental products.

[0142] The image capture equipment, e.g., a camera or imaging device, may be located behind a one-way mirror, which may or may not be fixed relative to the ground. Preferably, a screen, preferably integrated with the mirror, provides instructions to guide the target consumer when capturing images. Preferably, a detector detects the presence of the target consumer in front of the mirror and launches the dedicated application accordingly.

[0143] In particular, such a mirror can be arranged in a passage accommodating dental products. The target consumer positions himself in front of the mirror and is detected by the detector. Then, the "acquisition computer", preferably the processing computer, guides the target consumer to be positioned at a predetermined position such that the target consumer faces, for example, the image acquisition device, with the head turned to the left and / or such that his lips can be sufficiently seen. Preferably, the acquisition computer determines, for example using a neural network, whether the position of the target consumer is suitable for acquiring an image, and in that case preferably triggers the acquisition of an updated image.

[0144] In one embodiment, the screen of the mirror allows additional information to be acquired.

[0145] In a preferred embodiment, a face recognition algorithm implemented by the acquisition computer identifies the target consumer, and the consumer does not need to interact with the mirror. Then, the identifier sent to the processing computer enables the processing computer to access the "DB_Consumers" database to complement it and / or extract additional information about the target consumer.

[0146] Face recognition advantageously allows, in step d), without the target consumer having to come into contact with the acquisition device, the dental product to be handed over and / or a response to be provided and / or a dental care professional to be recommended, taking into account the previous use of the acquisition device by the target consumer and / or additional information resulting from other additional information sources. The target consumer only needs to position himself in front of the mirror. Hygiene and ergonomics are improved.

[0147] For example, if the "DB_Consumers" database includes additional information with which the target consumer recently purchased an electric toothbrush, the acquisition device can encourage the target consumer to purchase a toothpaste specifically for that toothbrush as soon as they look in the mirror, preferably by informing them that the toothpaste is particularly suitable for that toothbrush.

[0148] The acquisition computer can then function as a processing computer and preferably display the response, particularly for recommending a dental product, on the screen of the mirror, so that, in a few seconds, by simply smiling in front of the mirror, the target consumer can receive a recommendation for selecting the dental product, particularly a toothpaste or toothbrush.

[0149] Also, the processing computer can be remote from the acquisition computer, which creates and sends a request containing the updated image and optional additional information to the remote processing computer, which, after processing the request, returns a response to the acquisition computer, which is displayed to the target consumer, preferably on the screen of the mirror.

[0150] The method according to the invention can be used for many different products.

[0151] According to various embodiments, the dental goal is to whiten teeth, the dental organs are teeth, the dental attribute is the color, e.g., whiteness, of the dental organ, and the dental product is a tooth whitening product and / or a particular dentifrice and / or a particular toothbrush; or the dental goal is to reduce plaque, the dental organs are teeth, the dental attributes are the amount and / or size and / or color of plaque, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush; or the dental goal is to reduce soft tissue inflammation, the dental organ is the gingiva, the dental attribute is the color and / or size of the inflamed area, and the dental product is an anti-gingivitis product; or the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organs are teeth, the dental attribute is the presence of tartar and / or the presence of plaque and / or the presence of food debris, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product and / or an oral liquid for preventing bad breath and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush, or the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organ is the tongue, the dental attribute is the color of the dental organ, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product or an oral liquid and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush for preventing bad breath, or the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organ is the mouth, the dental attribute is the amount of saliva in the mouth, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product or an oral liquid and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush to prevent bad breath; or The dental goal is to reduce whitish deposits, the dental organ is the mouth, the dental attribute is the amount of saliva, and the dental product is an oral fluid, in particular an artificial saliva; or the dental goal is to improve the overall appearance of the smile, the dental features are one or both lips, the dental attributes are the shape and / or thickness and / or color of the lips, and the dental product is a product for reconstructing the lips; or The dental goal is to improve the overall appearance of the smile, the dental organ is the perioral area, the dental attribute is the shape and / or thickness and / or color of wrinkles around the mouth, and / or the thickness and / or color of nasolabial folds, and / or the thickness and / or color of sun wrinkles, and the dental product is a wrinkle reduction product.

[0152] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the method according to the invention can be used to select an orthodontic treatment or diet or an orthodontic appliance or functional device rather than a dental product.

[0153] According to various implementations of this alternative embodiment: the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organs are teeth and the dental attributes are the presence of tartar and / or the presence of plaque and / or the presence of food debris, and in step c) instead of or in addition to the dental product a suitable diet is selected, and then in step d) the suitable diet is presented; or the dental goal is to correct / improve the alignment of the teeth, the dental organs are one or two dental arches, the dental attributes are congestion index and / or occlusion class and / or vertical overhang value and / or horizontal overhang value, and in step c) instead of or in addition to the dental product, a suitable type of orthodontic treatment and / or a suitable duration of the orthodontic treatment is selected, and then in step d) the suitable type of orthodontic treatment and / or the suitable duration of the orthodontic treatment is suggested, or the dental goal is to reduce snoring, the dental organ is the tongue and the dental attribute is the position of the tongue, and in step c) a suitable functional appliance is selected instead of or in addition to the dental product, and then in step d) the suitable functional appliance is presented; or The dental product is a functional appliance; or The dental goal is to reduce sleep apnea, the dental organ is the tongue, the dental attribute is the position of the tongue, in step c) a suitable functional appliance is selected instead of or in addition to the dental product, and then in step d) the suitable functional appliance is presented.

[0154] Application of the present invention A target consumer obtains an updated image on a mobile phone. The updated image is analyzed by a processing computer, which may be the mobile phone. The analysis allows at least one dental attribute value to be determined, preferably the analysis allows multiple values ​​for one dental attribute to be determined, preferably the analysis allows multiple values ​​for multiple dental attributes to be determined.

[0155] For example, the analysis may determine one or more of the following values: a shade value of one or more teeth depicted on said updated image; plaque amount and / or color values ​​for one or more teeth depicted on said updated image; a color and / or size value of one or more gingivae depicted on said updated image; a value for the presence of tartar and / or food debris for one or more teeth depicted on said updated image; a value of the amount of saliva inside the mouth depicted on said updated image; a color value of the tongue depicted on said updated image; the shape and / or thickness and / or color value of one or both lips depicted on said updated image; the shape and / or appearance and / or thickness and / or colour value of the peri-oral region depicted on said updated image; The positioning value of the tongue depicted on the updated image.

[0156] These values ​​can be quantitative or qualitative.

[0157] The value is boolean; Vector; Number or digit; and For example, it may be selected from among a set of pre-determined values ​​that are determined upon completion of the classification.

[0158] The value can be determined by conventional image processing algorithms, for example by segmentation, classification methods, by using neural networks, by analysing colour, contour, texture, by detection.

[0159] The analysis may include, among other things: Segmenting the analytical image to distinguish between various analytical regions depicted on the analytical image, which may be teeth, gums, tongue, interior of the mouth, lips and perioral regions, and then determining, for one or more analysis domains, values ​​of one or more of the following dental attributes, e.g., using a neural network: For teeth, the values ​​of plaque shade, shape and amount, plaque size, plaque color, presence of tartar and / or presence of food debris may be the dental attribute values ​​determined; For gingiva, color, shape and / or size values ​​can be the dental attribute values ​​determined; For the tongue, color, especially the presence of whitish discolouration, positioning and / or shape values ​​can be the dental attribute values ​​determined; For the inside of the mouth, values ​​of the presence of saliva, the amount of saliva, and / or the presence of food particles may be the dental attribute values ​​determined; For lips, color, shape and / or thickness values ​​may be the dental attribute values ​​determined; For the perioral area, the values ​​of mouth wrinkle shape, mouth wrinkle thickness, mouth wrinkle color, nasolabial fold thickness, nasolabial fold color, sun wrinkle thickness and / or sun wrinkle color can be the dental attribute values ​​determined.

[0160] The target consumer may also input additional information to facilitate the selection. Preferably, the target consumer inputs at least one dental goal as additional information.

[0161] In particular, the database is configured to list, for each dental product contained in the database, dental attribute values ​​for which the dental product is suitable and / or additional information for which the dental product is suitable.

[0162] Thus, depending on values ​​determined when analyzing the updated image, and any additional information, the processing computer can select one or more of the dental products for the dental situation of the target consumer.

[0163] For example, determining a value of a dental attribute corresponding to the shade of at least one tooth can enable a tooth whitening product to be selected. Preferably, at least one dental goal is determined, and preferably, the at least one dental goal is to whiten the tooth.

[0164] In particular, based on the analysis of the updated image, a value related to the tooth shade can be determined. For example, if the shade is yellowish, the processing computer can select at least one tooth whitening product from the database. Alternatively, or additionally, the dental product can be a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush.

[0165] Another example may be determining a value of a dental attribute corresponding to an amount of plaque on a tooth, and / or a value of a dental attribute corresponding to a size of plaque on a tooth, and / or a value of a dental attribute corresponding to a color of plaque on a tooth. If the amount of plaque on a tooth or group of teeth depicted on the updated image exceeds a threshold predefined in the database, an anti-tartar product, and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush may be selected as the dental product. Preferably, at least one dental goal is determined, and preferably the at least one dental goal is to reduce plaque.

[0166] Another example may be determining a value of a dental attribute corresponding to the color of the tongue, in particular the dental attribute value may correspond to the presence of whitish deposits on the tongue. If the analysis of the updated image determines the presence of whitish deposits on the tongue, the dental product may be an anti-tartar product or an oral liquid for preventing bad breath. Preferably, at least one dental goal is determined, preferably the at least one dental goal is to improve breath. Additional information input by the target consumer may be consumption of a medicine, the medicine inputted resulting in reduced saliva volume or dehydration.

[0167] Another example may be determining a value of a dental attribute corresponding to the tongue positioning, and in addition to or instead of the dental product, a functional device for sleep apnea or the tongue positioning may be selected. Preferably, at least one dental goal is determined, preferably the at least one dental goal is to reduce snoring. Alternatively, the at least one dental goal is to reduce sleep apnea. Determining multiple values ​​for one or more attributes of teeth may allow multiple of the dental products to be selected. Alternatively, a single of the dental products may be selected.

[0168] The one or more selected dental products are presented to the target consumer, for example displayed on the screen of the target consumer's mobile phone.

[0169] After viewing the one or more selected dental products, the consumer may advantageously decide to pass on one or more of the one or more dental products.

Claims

1. 1. A method for selecting at least one dental product for a target consumer, comprising: a) at the time of acquisition, using the acquisition device, At least one image (called “Updated Image” (Ia)) that at least partially depicts the dental arch of the target consumer. To obtain b) analyzing the updated image by a processing computer to determine a value (V) of at least one dental attribute related to the target consumer's dental condition at the time of capture; c) depending on the value, Select at least one dental product (referred to as the "dental product") from the dental product database. selecting by said processing computer d) presenting a response to the target consumer regarding the at least one dental product; and / or delivering said at least one said dental product to said target consumer; The process includes the steps of: wherein in step b) the dental attribute is appearance parameters of the gums, tongue, one or two lips, perioral region, one tooth or a group of teeth depicted on the updated image; or parameters relating to the state of the gums, tongue, one or both lips, the perioral region, a tooth or group of teeth, or the mouth depicted on the updated image; or parameters relating to the shape of the gums, tongue, one or both lips, the perioral region, a tooth or a group of teeth depicted on the updated image; and the at least one dental product is selected from a dentifrice, a toothbrush, a dental floss, a chewing gum, an interdental brush, a whitening kit, a gum care product, a product for preventing bad breath and an oral liquid, a lip restructuring product, or a wrinkle reduction product; wherein in step b), performing segmentation using a segmentation neural network to extract a representation of at least one dental organ on the updated image; determining the value of the dental attribute by providing a representation of one of the dental organs as an input to a valorization neural network trained to provide as an output the value of the dental attribute in response to a representation of the dental organ being presented as an input; The process of The method.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step a) comprises obtaining first additional information, and in step c) the selection is performed depending on the value and the first additional information.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein in step c) the selection is further performed in response to second additional information stored in the database prior to step a).

4. In step c), in addition to the at least one dental product, at least one dental care professional is selected from a database of dental care professionals, and step d) presents a response regarding the at least one dental product and the at least one dental care professional to the target consumer; and / or delivering said at least one said dental product to said target consumer; and / or contacting said target consumer with the dental care professional selected in step c). Including, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Step a) is at least partially performed by a dedicated application loaded into said acquisition device; The acquisition device includes: Mobile phone, or The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the device comprises a mirror, a camera or imaging device, and an acquisition computer.

6. Prior to step a), the dedicated application is downloaded into the mobile phone, where the download is triggered by reading a code printed on the dental product and / or on a panel located in the aisle in which the dental product is located, or in step a), detecting the target consumer in front of the mirror, and acquiring the updated image when the target consumer is detected in front of the mirror; The method according to claim 5.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein in step a), the dedicated application analyzes the content of the preview image and guides the target consumer positioning according to the results of the analysis.

8. The first additional information and / or the second additional information are: additional information defining constraints or preferences to be imposed for the selection in step c), and / or additional information defining constraints or preferences to be imposed for said presenting in step d) and / or for said passing and / or for said contacting, and / or Additional information defining dental goals to be achieved by the target consumer; and / or Additional information relevant to the Target Consumer The method according to any one of claims 4 when referring to claim 3, or claims 5 to 7 when referring to claim 4 when referring to claim 3, comprising:

9. The additional information defining the constraints is: a ceiling price, where the price of the dental product must be below the ceiling price for the dental product to be selected in step c); and / or If the dental product comprises a consumable, the range of the amount of the consumable, where the amount of the consumable in the dental product must be within the above range so that the dental product can be selected in step c); and / or an upper limit time period for delivering or providing the dental product so that the dental product can be selected in step c); and / or a list of one or more ingredients that the dental product must not contain or must contain, so that the dental product can be selected in step c); and / or a list of one or more technical features that the dental product must not contain or must contain, so that it can be selected in step c); and / or a list of countries of manufacture in which the dental product must or must not be manufactured so that it can be selected in step c); and / or a list of manufacturers from which the dental product must or must not be manufactured so that it can be selected in step c); and / or a list of brands which must include the brand of dental product so that it can be selected in step c); and / or a ceiling price, where the price of a service by a dental care professional must be below the ceiling price in order for the dental care professional to be selected in step c); and / or a maximum time period for making an appointment with a dental care professional so that the dental care professional can be selected in step c); and / or a list of one or more pieces of equipment that a dental care professional must have available to them in order to be able to be selected in step c); and / or a list of one or more licenses or qualifications that a dental care professional must possess in order to be able to be selected in step c); and / or a list of one or more languages ​​in which the dental care professional must be fluent in order to be able to be selected in step c); and / or Criteria for proposing the response in step d); and / or Criteria for delivering the dental product in step d); and / or Criteria for contacting said dental care professional in step d). and / or The dental goal is selected from the following goals: whitening teeth, reducing plaque, reducing tartar, reducing soft tissue inflammation, improving breath, straightening / improving teeth alignment, improving the overall appearance of the smile, reducing snoring and / or sleep apnea, and / or improving lip shape, and / or improving the appearance of the perioral area; and / or The additional information related to the target consumer is: the age of the target consumer, and / or The gender of the target consumer, and / or One or more dental care professionals whom the target consumer already sees or sees regularly; and / or Whether or not the target consumer wears orthodontic appliances; and / or whether the target consumer is predisposed to a medical condition; and / or Whether the target consumer has undergone, is undergoing, or is considering undergoing a particular orthodontic procedure; and / or Details regarding a dental procedure, if the target consumer is currently undergoing a dental procedure to achieve a dental goal, and / or has previously used the method in connection with the dental procedure, and / or Whether the target consumer is satisfied with their smile, their breath, or their current dental condition; and / or Whether the target consumer is experiencing pain and / or perceived pain intensity and / or perceived pain location; and / or Whether one or more of the target consumer's teeth are sensitive to contact with hot and / or cold The method of claim 8, further comprising determining

10. A method according to claim 3 or any one of claims 4 to 9 when claim 3 is cited, wherein in step a), the acquired first additional information is stored in a database (DB_Consumers) and / or the second additional information is provided by one or more different additional information sources of the acquisition device.

11. the dental goal is to whiten teeth, the dental organ is a tooth, the dental attribute is a shade of the dental organ, and the dental product is a tooth whitening product; or the dental goal is to reduce plaque, the dental organs are teeth, the dental attributes are the amount and / or size and / or color of plaque, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush; or the dental goal is to reduce soft tissue inflammation, the dental organ is the gingiva, the dental attribute is the color and / or size of the inflamed area, and the dental product is an anti-gingivitis product; or the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organs are teeth, the dental attribute is the presence of tartar and / or the presence of plaque and / or the presence of food debris, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product and / or an oral liquid for preventing bad breath and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush, or the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organ is the tongue, the dental attribute is the color of the dental organ, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product or an oral liquid and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush for preventing bad breath, or the dental goal is to improve breath, the dental organ is the mouth, the dental attribute is the amount of saliva in the mouth, and the dental product is an anti-tartar product or an oral liquid and / or a dentifrice and / or a toothbrush to prevent bad breath; or the dental goal is to reduce whitish deposits, the dental organ is the mouth, the dental attribute is the amount of saliva, and the dental product is artificial saliva; or the dental goal is to improve the overall appearance of the smile, the dental features are one or both lips, the dental attributes are the shape and / or thickness and / or color of the lips, and the dental product is a product for reconstructing the lips; or The dental goal is to improve the overall appearance of the smile, the dental organ is the perioral area, the dental attribute is the shape and / or thickness and / or color of wrinkles around the mouth, and / or the thickness and / or color of nasolabial folds, and / or the thickness and / or color of sun wrinkles, and the dental product is a wrinkle reduction product. A method according to claim 8 or 9, or claim 10 when claim 8 or 9 is recited.

12. In step c) a set of rules is applied to the values ​​determined in step b), where the set of rules is filtering rules suitable for selecting a dental product from a database of dental products and / or for selecting a dental care professional from a database of dental care professionals depending on the value determined in step b), and weighting rules suitable for assigning weights to the dental products of the database of dental products and / or to the dental care professionals of the database of dental care professionals depending on the values ​​determined in step b). The method according to claim 4 or any one of claims 5 to 9 or 11 when relying on claim 4, comprising at least one rule selected from among:

13. The rule is: the value determined in step b), and / or the constraints and / or dental goals and / or preferences and / or requirements of the target consumer, and / or unique characteristics of the target consumer and / or characteristics of the events preceding step a), and / or a plurality of dental products and / or a plurality of dental care professionals, and / or data independent of the target consumer. Involved in the characteristic of the event preceding step a) being a reaction of the target consumer following a response sent to the target consumer during a previous execution of the method prior to the selection of a dental product, the frequency with which the target consumer performs the method according to the invention, or the evolution of the dental situation of the target consumer, The target consumer independent data is sales data, statistical data, or updated point-in-time data; The method of claim 12.

14. 14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein in step c), a selection neural network is implemented to provide as output one or more of said dental products depending on the values ​​determined in step b) that are introduced at the input of said selection neural network.

15. 15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein in step c) in addition to the at least one dental product at least one dental care professional is selected from a database of dental care professionals, and in step d) the target consumer and a dental care professional are contacted depending on the value determined in step b).

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the database of dental products further comprises records for dental products not exclusively intended to improve the dental condition.

17. 17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the obtaining in step a) and / or the presenting in step d) can take place in the target consumer's home or in a shop or pharmacy where the dental product is offered for sale or where teeth whitening can be performed.

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