Utilising Technology for Better Oral Health Detection

Our postgraduate student, Dr Boey Sean Kuan, was awarded the second prize in the first-ever European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) Innovation Award for Digital Solutions for Gum Health. Her winning project, ‘The Dental Tracker, a mobile application for the patient, dentist and periodontal researchers’, allows users to conduct intra-oral scans to monitor their dental health via smartphones. The concept seeks to empower individuals to control their oral health better.

Q: Your project, ‘The Dental Tracker, a mobile application for the patient, dentist and periodontal researchers’, was recently awarded the second prize in the
first-ever EFP Innovation Award for Digital Solutions for Gum Health. Please share with us what inspired you to embark on this project.

Literally everyone has a smartphone and mobile applications are the "IT" thing at the moment. I was inspired to reinvent dentistry using digital technology, to make monitoring of oral health more relevant to current times and to encourage individuals to take better control of their oral well-being.

I am very grateful to Associate Professor Fu Jia Hui and Adjunct Associate Professor Alphonsus Tay for their support.

Associate Professor Fu encouraged me to submit my application for the EFP Innovation Award because she saw the potential of the project in generating greater awareness of oral health and promoting early prevention and intervention among individuals. Participating and eventually winning the award was a great way of placing Singapore on the global map but most importantly, it helped to deepen understanding on an international level that patients, too, could play a part in enhancing their own oral well-being.

Adjunct Assoc Prof Alphonsus Tay supported my initial source of inspiration which was to use a simple retractor and mobile phone to monitor one’s oral health. I felt that although the idea seemed good, I needed to pursue a proper algorithm or structure to bring the project to fruition. I eventually conceptualised and curated an original pitch deck for ‘The Dental Tracker’ and submitted it as an entry for the EFP Innovation Award.

Q: How will the application be beneficial for oral health detection and in the longer term, how will it help to increase oral wellbeing awareness among individuals? 

The application hopes to encourage self-administered plaque control and monitoring of one's oral health. In time, it aims to positively influence the psychology, behaviours and overall improvement of dental health for patients by giving them ownership and control. The data on the application can also be used by clinicians to better assess patients’ oral health conditions and recommend early preventive measures and treatment approaches.

Q: Since your win, any updates on how you hope to progress this project beyond infancy to increase usage and achieve its objectives?

I hope to advance this project in the third quarter of 2023 by actively sourcing funding from like-minded individuals. I have already been approached by parties to discuss additional research opportunities to develop the mobile application further.

In the long run, the aim is to eventually incorporate the application universally in public and private healthcare settings as an initiative supported by government and regulatory bodies. This would hopefully transform oral awareness and management on a national level.

There is also immense potential for ‘The Dental Tracker’ to go beyond being just a simple idea. I have great hopes that if developed, it could change the mindset of our patients and enable them to shape their own oral health. At the same time, it will also revolutionise and transform dentistry practice by promoting early detection and advancing treatment for oral issues and diseases.

I will like to leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

"From a little spark, it may burst a flame" – Dante.

This has inspired me in my journey so far with ‘The Dental Tracker’. I hope it will motivate you on your projects too – even a small action can initiate great outcomes. All it takes is a little step forward to ignite that spark.