Dental caries detection and prevention using smartphones

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases world-wide, as it effects ۶۰-۹۰% of the population(Xiao et al., ۲۰۲۱). If left untreated, dental caries management will become more complex and resource consuming. This multifactorial disease can be prevented at its early stages, and an early intervention at later stages could lead to a better prognosis(Salagare and Prasad, ۲۰۲۱). Thus, early detection and prevention of dental caries is of utmost importance. Aim: We aim to assess the usage of smartphones for early caries detection and prevention. Methods:A thorough search was conducted in credible medical databases (e.g. PubMed, Scopus, etc.) from January ۱st until January ۱۵th with the following key words: dental caries, prevention, detection, smartphone, and app.Discussion: Regarding prevention, ۹۳% of mobile apps aid their target audience regarding oral hygiene. ۵۲.۵% addressed diet and ۴۲.۵% promoted fluoride use. The target audience of such apps were usually young adults or the adolescent population, but quality apps for children between ۰-۶ years old were not found(Chen et al., ۲۰۲۱).Caries detection with AI algorithms implemented in smartphone apps show an accuracy of >۹۰%(Kühnisch et al., ۲۰۲۱). Multiple studies highlight the importance of caries detection via this method in younger children with primary dentition, stating that current developing apps have moderate sensitivity and high specificity scores relative to an unaided visual dental examination(Duong, Kabir and Kuo, ۲۰۲۱; Estai et al., ۲۰۲۱; Kühnisch et al., ۲۰۲۱).Conclusion: Smartphone apps for prevention and detection of dental caries have been developed, and can be used when direct dental care isn’t available. Still, further AI developments for these purposes are needed and recommended.