SBIR/STTR Award attributes
The number of decayed and filled tooth surfaces in primary dentition is on the rise in US children between the ages ofandyears oldin factof adolescentsbetweenandyears oldandout ofdentate seniorsagebear evidence of dental cariesReinforced with areport statingof those between the ages ofandhave dental cariesvirtually all walks of life are thus affectedand this doesn t even include those unreportedor those with significant dental erosion or gingival recessionThusthese statistics could imply there is a significant unmet need in creating improved mechanisms for healthier dietary and hygienic habitsOne way to achieve healthier habits and behavior is through effective communicationHoweverdisconnects exist between oral health messaging and the patient s understanding of clinical recommendationsin factoral health organizations recognize the need to improve and empower the public s oral health literacyAlthough adherence to preventive plans are critical to thwarting tooth decaya patient s poor oral health understanding and knowledgeeven after a dental visitpersistently introduce factors that diminish preventive efforts and favorable oral health outcomesfor examplea clinical report revealed the average patient only recounts about half of the recommended dental adviceOral health literacy is a relatively new area of research and there are few innovations in this spaceThereforeopportunities that address oral health illiteracy and behavioral barriers utilizing today sst century technology may promote better oral health outcomesSuch approaches are already well under way for systemic healthbut thus farprevention minded oral health measures are lackingWe believe a unique approach exists that utilizes something most peopleboth young and oldaccess on a daily basisa mobile deviceOur approach is underlined by recent statistics released by the Pew Centermore thanout ofU Sadults access mobile devices for informationincluding more thanof seniorsyears of ageUtilizing our proven strengths and successes in preventive dentistry innovations and mobile applicationAppdevelopmentin this Phase I proposal we will determine feasibility of creating a prototype oral health App that scores dietary and oral hygiene events utilizing algorithms devised from libraries of empirical nutritional and scientific datalaboratory and clinicalIn doing sothis Phase I proposal has three Specific Aimsempirical nutritional and scientific data miningmulti tiered decision tree algorithm construction with putative scoring index based on Aimdataanddevelopment of a prototype mobile App based on AimsandIf successful and with clinical testing expected in a Phase II proposalthe long term goal of this research is to deploy and commercialize an oral health App that promotes clinically effective oral health behaviorThe constant feed from mined data libraries and social engineering aspects are expected to drive routine use of the Appthus engaging the user towards favorable habits and healthier outcomes Reinforced with areport statingof those between the ages ofandhave dental cariesvirtually all walks of life are thus affectedand this doesn t even include those unreportedor those with significant dental erosion or gingival recessionAlthough adherence to preventive plans are critical to thwarting tooth decaya patient s poor oral health understanding and knowledgeeven after a dental visitpersistently introduce factors that diminish preventive efforts and favorable oral health outcomesfor examplea clinical report revealed the average patient only recounts about half of the recommended dental adviceUtilizing our strengths and successes in preventive dentistry innovations and mobile applicationAppdevelopmentthe long term goal of this research is to deploy and commercialize an oral health App that promotes clinically effective oral health behaviorwhereby the constant feed from mined data libraries and social engineering aspects are expected to drive routine use of the Appthus engaging the user towards favorable habits and healthier outcomes
