Smart Toothbrush Sensor Feedback for Oral Health Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many individuals, especially young children, do not regularly brush their teeth for the recommended minimum interval due to a lack of engagement with the mundane task of tooth brushing, leading to potential dental issues such as gingivitis and halitosis, which are often only addressed during dental checkups that occur infrequently.
Innovation Solution
An oral care implement, such as a toothbrush, equipped with sensors like accelerometers, diagnostic sensors, and pressure sensors that provide feedback on brushing technique and oral health, generating a health profile that includes information on oral and non-oral diseases, and offering recommendations for improvement, which can be accessed through a service either online or in-person.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If dental checkups are conducted infrequently, then the complexity and cost of dental care system is reduced, but oral health monitoring reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary monitoring action by placing sensors in the oral cavity that continuously collect health data between dental checkups. This preliminary data collection allows dentists to review oral health status before the actual checkup, enabling early detection of problems and reducing the need for frequent invasive procedures while maintaining high monitoring reliability.
2Ease of operation
If tooth brushing is performed without feedback, then the ease of operation is improved, but the effectiveness of oral hygiene deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where sensors detect brushing actions and provide real-time information to both the patient and dentist. The system monitors brushing duration, coverage areas, and technique effectiveness, then feeds this information back through the oral health report, enabling patients to improve their brushing habits while maintaining ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If young children brush their teeth without engagement, then the ease of operation is improved, but oral health outcomes deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides engaging feedback to young children through visual or auditory signals that make brushing enjoyable. Sensors detect proper brushing actions and provide positive reinforcement, transforming a mundane task into an engaging activity while ensuring children brush their teeth effectively for their oral health.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method including deriving a health profile of a user from a sample taken from the user and displaying a representation of the health profile on a display, wherein the representation of the health profile includes a list of undesirable oral health characteristics that are detectable from the sample. The representation of the health profile may also include a list of desirable oral health characteristics that are detectable from the sample. Furthermore, a user may select one of the undesirable health characteristics, and in response an indication of historical values associated within he selected one of the undesirable health characteristics may be displayed on the display.