A smartphone-based oral health screening platform that uses artificial intelligence and user-captured photographs to identify common dental conditions and help older adults, caregivers, and dental providers monitor oral health outside of the traditional dental office.
BACKGROUND :
Older adults experience a substantial burden of dental caries, periodontal disease, tooth loss, and other oral conditions, yet many face significant barriers to routine dental care. Mobility limitations, transportation difficulties, fixed incomes, and limited dental coverage can make regular in-person examinations difficult, particularly for elderly patients who require caregiver assistance. These barriers are especially important because poor oral health is associated with broader systemic conditions and can contribute to worsening overall health.
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW :
The University at Buffalo technology, OralScan, is a smartphone application that combines guided image capture, on-device image-quality assessment, cloud-based artificial intelligence, and visual presentation of screening results. Users capture images of the front, upper, and lower teeth. Before an image is accepted, the application performs blur detection and verifies that the appropriate teeth are visible. The platform combines results from multiple oral views into unified dental-arch visualizations and supports longitudinal tracking of oral health findings. The current prototype targets seven conditions: calculus/plaque buildup, dental caries, oral lesions, gingivitis, hypodontia, tooth discoloration, and leukoplakia.
ADVANTAGES :
APPLICATIONS :
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SUMMARY : Copyright-protected source code and UI
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT : TRL 6
LICENSING STATUS : Available for licensing or collaboration.
About the Research Foundation for the State University of New York:
As the nation's largest research foundation supporting the nation's largest public university system, The Research Foundation for SUNY powers research and innovation to address today's most pressing problems and shape a better future for generations to come. The Research Foundations supports SUNY researchers leading the way globally in AI for the public good, quantum technologies, next-generation semiconductors, biotech and medicine, energy and climate solutions, and more. The Research Foundation for SUNY is a private, nonprofit educational corporation that is tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). To learn more, please visit us online at rfsuny.org .
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu .