Entrepreneurs Gina Dorodvand and Hawaa Budraa are trying to revolutionize dental care with PlaqueChecker, a development-stage mobile health app for the automatic detection of plaque and inflamed gums. The startup’s software analyzes pictures of the teeth obtained using a specially designed mouthpiece that attaches to the smart phone.
PlaqueChecker was one of a handful of tech companies from the London region to advance to the final round of the recent 1776 Challenge Cup pitch competition.
The co-founders hope to next year launch a beta version of the app, and eventually sell it directly to consumers for £2.99 a month ($4.20) or £24.99 a year ($35.17). Its software analyzes the smartphone picture, and produces an image locating plaque and inflamed gums. An explanatory score of the user’s dental health is also planned.
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“It’s showing you exactly where your problems are. That way, you know where to floss, where you need to be brushing, which areas of your gums have problems that you need to focus on, whether you need to go to the dentist and get this checked out… All that information comes out from these images,” Budraa said in an interview.
To obtain images of the plaque and inflamed gums, Dorodvand and Budraa designed a simple mouthpiece that attaches to the phone. Once inside the mouth, the gadget slides across the teeth. Three photos are taken using a standard smartphone camera.
“The best way to describe it is if you’ve ever been scuba diving and you’ve got that thing where you kind of put it in your mouth, it’s very similar to that, where it just sits on your teeth,” Budraa said.
Now she’s working with dentists to improve the diagnostic tool’s sensitivity and specificity. Partnering with the professionals is a big part of PlaqueChecker’s business plan.
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“We want the images to be incorporated into dental practices so that your dentist will be able to see them, so you’ll be able to manage your health and improve the quality of your care based on the fact that when you are away from the dentist, he’s also able to see how you’re doing, and monitoring that. And also before you come and visit, he’s very much aware of what stage you’re at and what needs to be done,” Budraa said.
Partnerships with electronic toothbrush manufacturers are also being pursued, according to Budraa.
“Our software is also very likely to be working alongside electronic toothbrushes, so that’s one model we’re looking at as well. We can incorporate our technology with a smart toothbrush or a BlueTooth App toothbrush. Our technology will allow you to set your toothbrush according to the results you get,” she said.
“The main inspiration behind why I decided to build software like this was my sister who suffered a lot with regards to teeth and had to get braces. One of the big challenges was actually managing her gums and her plaque levels to the point where a dentist would be happy to give braces,” Budraa added.
Next steps include obtaining a patent for the mouth piece and image analysis software, and moving the program from the laptop to a functional smart phone app.
The idea was born at City University London, where Budraa and Dorodvand studied biomedical engineering. After lift-off at London accelerator Bethnal Green Ventures, PlaqueChecker is looking to raise $250,000.
The company was not one of the eight companies selected by Washington D.C. incubator 1776 for grants worth between $10,000 and $50,000, but should benefit from the exposure and status as a finalist.
Startup MUrgency, which seeks to deploy its app for hailing ambulances in India and other emerging markets, took home the $50,000 prize.
Dorodvand stressed PlaqueChecker’s universality and large addressable market during her energetic pitch, saying “everyone has teeth, or at least gums, right?”
Photo: Free Images/Ana Amaral
