Revolutionizing Children’s Dental Health with AI

Manchester based start-up, My Dental Buddy, has developed a world first in AI functionality.

Their platform now offers a live dashboard for supervising tooth brushing sessions and tracking engagement for children and their guardians. At home or in schools, parents, guardians and professionals can access free tools including interactive brushing guides, habit trackers and dentist-approved educational content to reinforce healthy routines  

Almost half of UK children have gone more than twelve months without a dental check‑up* and after witnessing first-hand how reduced access to an NHS dentist impacts on preventable dental disease for children and families, dentist Dr Ramzan Mohammed founded My Dental Buddy in 2023.

His aim was to make oral health education engaging, accessible and sustainable for all children. The service combines national curriculum-aligned sessions in schools with accessible digital tools that continue the learning at home.

“Children’s oral health in the UK is in a real crisis,” Dr Mohammed explains. “Tooth decay is the number one reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital, and children in the most deprived areas are nearly three times more likely to experience it. With NHS dental access at record lows, more than half of UK children haven’t had a check-up in the last year.”

The platform’s patent-pending real-time AI feedback works with any toothbrush. Using a standard smartphone or tablet camera, the technology analyses brushing in real time. It can track coverage, angle and inferred pressure.

This gives every child, even those using a simple manual toothbrush, access to immediate and actionable brushing guidance. They plan to launch the AI-enabled product in the coming months, with a wider rollout later this year.

With support from GM Business Growth Hub, My Dental Buddy secured £19,520 in innovation grant funding. This financed the development of the current version of the app, now available on Apple and Android. Close collaboration with the Hub’s Health and Life Sciences Specialist Dr Taktak helped Dr Mohammed to refine the project scope and find the right machine learning specialist.

“The benefits for children are clear,” says Dr Yousef Taktak “With this AI module, My Dental Buddy can help maintain the improvements achieved through dentist-led interventions and keep plaque levels low between check-ups.”

The commercial potential of My Dental Buddy’s innovation is significant and is gaining momentum fast “The UK dental devices sector is worth over £350m and expected to exceed £460m by 2030,” says Dr Taktak. “My Dental Buddy is operating at the cutting-edge of dental technology and is well positioned to thrive.”

The business has already secured a £248,000, two-year oral health programme contract with Oldham Council, and is hoping to secure more across the country. Dr Mohammed is also exploring opportunities internationally. By providing an affordable, accessible tool, My Dental Buddy’s model aims to improve children’s dental health across the UK, and the world.

For more information, visit: https://mydentalbuddy.com/en

If you are an innovative start-up developing new technology or products, GM Business Growth Hub can help. Contact 0161 359 3050 or at bgh@growthco.uk to find fully funded specialist support that can grow your idea.

* House of Commons Library (2024).Children’s NHS dental attendance statistics 2024. Data reported in Dentistry.co.uk, 19 Sept 2024. Available at: https://dentistry.co.uk/2024/09/19/nearly-half-of-children-not-seen-by-nhs-dentist-in-past-year/