Intro Sentence:
UCLA researchers in the department of dentistry developed a system to promote and enhance at-home oral hygiene practices.
Background:
Dental disease is a chronic illness caused by inadequate and improper oral self-care behaviors. This condition contributes to gum disease, tooth decay, and eventual tooth loss. Traditional oral hygiene instructions are provided by dental clinics and do not promote long-term dental care. Existing methods offer general and non-patient-specific care instructions that contribute to improper dental hygiene practices. There remains an unmet need for a personalized and dynamic system to deliver dental knowledge and hygiene practices.
Innovation:
UCLA researchers in the department of dentistry developed an Oral Health Recommender System (oHRS) that utilizes generative artificial intelligence and a mobile application to provide personalized guidance for maintaining oral health between dental visits. The system utilizes an electric toothbrush equipped with sensors to collect patient data on dental hygiene practices. These data are integrated into the smartphone application, which then uses artificial intelligence to provide tailored behavioral change interventions to reinforce proper oral self-care practices. This technology can prevent the development and progression of dental disease due to improper and inadequate oral self-care behaviors.
Potential Applications:
- Personalized oral hygiene plan
- Dental professional support
- Public health initiatives
- Dental insurance plans
Advantages:
- Data-driven
- Personalized
- Scalable
- Holistic healthcare
- Public health impact
Related papers:
1. LaVine D, Greer Z, Kim J, Kumar S, Belin T, Shetty V. Remote Oral Self-Care Behaviors Assessment System: Usability and Feasibility in Vulnerable Populations. PLOS ONE. 2023 May.
2. Shetty V, Morrison D, Belin T, Hnat T, Kumar S. A Scalable System for Passively Monitoring Oral Health Behaviors Using Electronic Toothbrushes in the Home Setting: Development and Feasibility Study. JMIR MHealth UHealth. 2020 Jun 24;8(6):e17347.
3. Carpenter SM, Greer Z, Newman R, Murphy S, Shetty V, Nahum-Shani I. Engaging Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Digital Oral Self-Care Interventions: A Formative Research into Messaging Strategies. JMIR Form Res. 2023 May.
4. Trella AL, Zhang KW, Nahum-Shani I, Shetty V, Doshi-Velez F, Murphy SA. Designing Reinforcement Learning Algorithms for Digital Interventions: Pre-implementation Guidelines. Algorithms [Internet]. 2022 Jul 22 [cited 2023 May 25];15(8):255. Available from: http://arxiv.org/abs/2206.03944
5. Trella AL, Zhang KW, Nahum-Shani I, Shetty V, Doshi-Velez F, Murphy SA. Reward Design For An Online Reinforcement Learning Algorithm Supporting Oral Self-Care [Internet]. arXiv; 2022 [cited 2023 May 25]. Available from: http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.07406
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2023-278
Lead Inventor:
Vivek Shetty