| NSF Org: |
SES Division of Social and Economic Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 15, 2023 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 15, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 2238208 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Sara Kiesler
skiesler@nsf.gov (703)292-8643 SES Division of Social and Economic Sciences SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences |
| Start Date: | June 15, 2023 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2026 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,500,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,500,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
910 GENESEE ST ROCHESTER NY US 14611-3847 (585)275-4031 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD ROCHESTER NY US 14627-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | S&CC: Smart & Connected Commun |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070, 47.075 |
ABSTRACT
Tooth decay is a pandemic disease that affects 35% of the global population, or 2.4 billion people. Dental caries (tooth decay) particularly impacts children and adults living in poverty, who have poor access to dental care. Current biomedical approaches to controlling dental caries have had limited success. This project is creating a smart, connected oral health community with improved access to care and greater oral health equity. The investigators aim to develop and test a community-based infrastructure that combines use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, facilitated by home use of smartphones, with community engagement through interactive oral health community centers, mobile vans, and community health workers. The project has the potential to reform the oral health care delivery system, empower communities with digital tools, and overcome barriers to oral health equity. Beginning with a focus on families with young children, the model could also be adopted by other underserved populations, such as the elderly and refugees, who face similar challenges in accessing oral health care.
The project team is refining the underlying technology with AI-powered oral disease screening and management with cloud surveillance, and data collection facilitated by a dentistry smartphone app for at-home self-monitoring. The team is also investigating the social dimensions of the problem. It is establishing oral health community centers supported by community health workers who apply established methods of human motivation to reach and empower families in the community, and to teach and motivate them to use the new AI apps. The team will be assessing community outcomes of the project, with a focus on the use of technology tools for caries detection and treatment prioritization, and community engagement with services in oral health community centers. Outcomes will be measured by the perceived competence of providers and patients, and the technology's acceptance, usability, and effectiveness.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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