United Kingdom
Brush DJ is a free mobile app that encourages excellent oral hygiene by making tooth brushing a positive experience.
Following best oral hygiene practices is vital not just for dental health but for overall health. Brushing and flossing remove food and plaque to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Even though most people understand the importance of following dentist recommendations, 25% of adults in the UK do not brush their teeth as often as they should. In addition, 1 in 3 adults have admitted to never flossing. So, it’s no surprise that 31% of Brits have tooth decay.
Poor oral hygiene doesn’t only impact the individual. It also costs billions of pounds each year. Extracting decayed teeth from children under general anaesthesia alone comes in at £50.5 million/year. Dentist Ben Underwood developed Brush DJ to encourage people of all ages to follow dental care guidelines by making the experience positive.
Brush DJ is a smartphone app for Android and iOS that makes brushing teeth something more exciting. Or at least, something not to dread. The app is suitable for all ages and provides many customisation options to suit an individual’s preferences. The app has a number of notification options, including when it’s time for the user to brush their teeth, floss, replace their toothbrush, use a mouth rinse, and visit a dentist or hygienist.
When it is time for the user to brush their teeth, the app plays two minutes of music from the app’s library or the user’s device. Then, the app reminds users to switch sides at 30-second intervals and cheers when the 2 minutes are up. The app has several short animated videos that are age-appropriate tutorials for the user to complete oral hygiene tasks. In 2019, Brush DJ was named a winner of the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare competition. The NHS sponsors this competition to find innovative digital healthcare solutions to improve patient outcomes. Brush DJ is available for free in the NHS Apps Library. Empident is another dentaltech startup that uses a camera attached to a smartphone to enable weekly checks to look for areas of plaque and potential cavities.
Website: https://www.brushdj.com/
Image: Brush DJ
