Dental Appliance Storage Device with Sensor Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Patients often fail to accurately follow medical treatment plans, particularly with removable dental appliances, leading to prolonged treatment times and the need for adjustments, as practitioners rely on patient compliance without reliable tracking methods.
Innovation Solution
A dental appliance storage device equipped with sensors and a processor to detect and track the presence, adherence, and compliance with treatment plans, transmitting data to an external device for monitoring and adjusting the treatment plan accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a removable dental appliance is provided to a patient for treatment, then the patient can temporarily remove the device for comfort or hygiene, but the patient may not accurately follow the treatment plan leading to prolonged treatment time
Solution Approach 1:
The storage device incorporates sensors that detect whether the dental appliance is properly stored and track compliance data. This feedback mechanism monitors patient adherence to the treatment plan and transmits compliance information to the practitioner, enabling real-time monitoring without restricting appliance removability.
Solution Approach 2:
A compliance tracking system acts as an intermediary between the patient, the removable appliance, and the practitioner. The system includes storage devices with sensors, processors that analyze compliance data, and transmission components that communicate with external devices, providing objective monitoring of treatment adherence.
2Device complexity
If the practitioner relies on patient self-reporting for compliance, then the system remains simple, but the accuracy of compliance data is compromised due to patient memory and honesty limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-monitoring through automated sensors in the storage device that detect appliance presence and track compliance objectively. The processor automatically analyzes sensor data and generates compliance reports, eliminating the need for patient self-reporting while maintaining system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual system of patient self-reporting with an automated electronic monitoring system. Sensors detect appliance storage events, processors analyze compliance patterns, and transmission components send data to external devices, providing objective measurement without increasing perceived complexity for the patient.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical treatment tracking device with a cavity configured to store a medical device and one or more sensor configured to obtain data about the medical device. Based on the data obtained by the sensor, adherence to an aspect of a treatment plan is determined by one or more processor. The one or more processor is also configured to determine compliance with the treatment plan based on the adherence determination. A transmitter may then transmit the compliance determination may to an external device.