Dr. Matarić projects that within the next five years, socially assistive robots will be more available within homes and community settings for other behavioral change uses, and this has me thinking about our patients who have oral health needs.
We already have powered toothbrushes with new technology that offers features with feedback to help patients learn how to brush better. It occurred to me that the companies that manufacture these toothbrushes might want to partner with the groups that create socially assistive devices to develop a platform to help patients with significant health challenges recover both the dexterity and motivation to perform self-oral-care regimens. Imagine how empowering it would be for patients to have a sense of accomplishment and independence from caregivers to be able to hold that toothbrush in their hand, control it while using it in the mouth, and successfully remove biofilm and food products themselves. Think about how proud a person would be when coming in for a regularly scheduled dental hygiene appointment, knowing he or she was able to achieve a healthy mouth independently.
This technology would be a revolutionary step forward for so many patients who cannot meet their own oral health goals unassisted. This partnership would help remind therapists and caregivers that the mouth is still connected to the body, and it would be a reminder that good oral health is good health. Further, this adaptive technology could be available in all the same settings: hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, group homes, schools … anyone’s home.
Imagine, as Dr. Matarić does, a future in which there is a robot for every person so everyone has a platform for health and wellness, as well as the motivation to have help with individual health challenges. That would be incredible! RDH
JOANN R. GURENLIAN, RDH, PhD, is president of Gurenlian & Associates, and provides consulting services and continuing education programs to health-care providers. She is a professor and dental hygiene graduate program director at Idaho State University, and past president of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists.