Empowering Marginalized Populations with AI-driven Oral Care

Caare Oral AI tackles the challenge of inaccurate and limited access to dental diagnoses, particularly in remote areas. Traditional methods often rely on visual examinations and X-rays, which can miss subtleties or require expensive equipment. Our solution leverages smartphone technology and AI to bridge this gap. By analyzing phone camera images of teeth, Caare Dental's AI empowers dentists with precise cavity and lesion detection, improving diagnostic accuracy. This not only benefits specialists in remote locations by offering AI-powered insights, but also fosters patient engagement through a user-friendly way to understand their oral health.

Oral diseases, encompassing a range of conditions such as dental caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancer, and lesions, remain a major global health issue. Dental caries, characterized by the erosion of tooth enamel due to bacterial acids, can lead to discomfort and tooth loss. Periodontal diseases affect the gums and bones supporting teeth, while oral cancers can have severe health implications. These conditions not only impact individual health but also impose a substantial burden on healthcare systems, typically diagnosed through visual examination and X-rays by skilled dental professionals. 

Caare Oral AI Pitch Deck

Caare Oral AI Demo

Inaccessible and inaccurate dental diagnoses create a ripple effect of negative consequences for global health. Untreated cavities and oral diseases lead to pain, discomfort, and difficulty eating, impacting overall well-being. This can hinder productivity, school attendance, and even job opportunities.

Furthermore, undiagnosed issues can progress to severe infections, tooth loss, and potential systemic health problems like heart disease or diabetes. These complications place a significant burden on healthcare systems, especially in underserved communities where access to quality dental care is already limited.

Caare Oral AI solution aims to disrupt this cycle by offering a more accessible and accurate diagnostic tool. By empowering dentists with AI-powered insights from readily available phone camera images, Caare Dental has the potential to improve early detection rates, leading to timely interventions and better treatment outcomes. This can significantly improve not only oral health but also overall well-being and potentially reduce the burden on healthcare systems globally.

Caare is not just AI but a full telehealth platform for remote areas. Doctors, health workers, and patients can access it easily, even with weak internet.

The Oral AI is built-in inside the Caare Triage platform:

* Health workers upload phone pictures of teeth.

* AI analyzes and highlights potential problems.

* Doctors get reports and provide remote consultations.

* Patients see their images with clear explanations.

Caare Triage with Oral AI provides a complete solution for remote oral care: better diagnosis, specialist access, and informed patients.

By combining below capabilities in information processing and content creation with the expertise of a dedicated team, Caare Oral AI can be well-positioned to deliver a valuable and impactful solution in the dental care landscape.

• AI and Machine Learning Engineers: Experts to develop, train, and maintain the core AI algorithms for image analysis and diagnostics.
• Dentistry Experts: Dental professionals who can provide clinical expertise to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the AI's functionalities for real-world dental applications.
• Software Developers: Skilled developers to build and maintain the Caare Triage platform, ensuring a user-friendly and secure experience.
• Business Development and Marketing Professionals: A team to drive customer acquisition, develop strategic partnerships, and create a strong market presence for Caare Oral AI.

Caare's Oral AI solution is being rigorously tested and evaluated in various settings, including within Caare Phygital Clinics, which cater to rural communities, and among Dental practitioners in urban areas. This comprehensive approach allows us to gather diverse feedback and insights to refine and optimize the performance of our innovative Oral AI technology. By collaborating with both rural and urban healthcare professionals, we aim to ensure that our solution meets the needs and expectations of a broad spectrum of users.

Customers: Piloting since Mar 2024 and validated with nearly 100 patients. Expected to reach a count of nearly 250 by end of April 2024.

Dentists: Nearly 10 Dentists have seen the solution and provided their feedback and looking forward to interviewing another 10 by end of April 2024.

The overall feedback is positive and requested us to keep them updated on the other oral issues which we will potentially identify in the coming days.

Caare Oral AI solution's strong Alignment with Solve's Mission:

• Global Health Focus: Oral diseases are a significant global health challenge, particularly affecting underserved communities. Caare Oral AI directly addresses this issue by improving access to dental care through its accessible and accurate AI diagnostics.
• Technological Innovation: Leveraging AI and telehealth, Caare Oral AI offers a novel approach to bridge the gap in dental care services.
• Social Impact Potential: By enabling early detection and treatment, Caare Oral AI can improve oral health outcomes for millions, leading to a better quality of life.

The project utilizes computer vision technology, specifically object detection and instance segmentation with convolutional neural networks (CNNs), for AI-powered oral disease diagnosis. Unlike traditional models that merely classify an image as containing a cavity, our solutions identify and segment each area of interest (like individual cavities), enabling precise tracking and analysis of each issue. The system currently accepts images, with potential to incorporate video analysis in future versions.

We offer two specialized models:

1. Basic model: An AI model solution to detect and marks oral problems such as cracks, caries, cavities, Stains/calculus, Gum disease, and Ulcer/Cancerous Lesion.

2. A comprehensive model: An AI model solution to detect and marks type of oral diseases, including Gum disease type or Cancerous lesion type.

These models are designed to boost the accuracy and efficiency of dental diagnostics. 

Imagine millions of people, especially in remote areas, struggling to see a dentist. This often leads to undetected cavities and gum problems that can get worse over time. Caare Oral AI is like a superhero with X-ray vision for your mouth, but instead of fancy machines, it uses your phone camera!

Here's how Caare helps:

• Easier Diagnosis: Dentists can take pictures of your teeth with your phone, and Caare's super-smart AI analyzes the images. It's like having a tiny dentist assistant in your phone!
• Early Detection: By spotting problems early, dentists can catch cavities and other issues before they become serious. This means less pain and fewer expensive treatments in the future.
• Remote Help: Dentists in remote areas can use Caare to consult with specialists in bigger cities. This way, even if you live far away from a specialist, you can still get the best possible care.
• Empowered Patients: Caare shows clear explanations alongside the AI analysis. This helps you understand your oral health and make informed decisions about your treatment.

Overall, Caare Oral AI cuts through the challenges of limited access to dentists and expensive equipment. By making dental care easier, faster, and more affordable, Caare can lead to a healthier future for everyone, especially those who need it most!

Caare Oral AI aims to revolutionize dental care access for those who need it most. Here's how we'll measure our impact:

• Reaching Underserved Dentists: Track the number of dentists in underserved areas using Caare.
• Telehealth Impact: Monitor remote consultations facilitated by Caare Triage, focusing on underserved patients.
• Early Detection: Analyze the increase in early-stage cavity detection by Caare's AI.
• Improved Outcomes: Track patient satisfaction with treatment based on Caare's analysis and reductions in follow-up appointments.

These metrics will show how effectively Caare bridges the gap in dental care, improves early detection, and ultimately leads to healthier smiles for all.

The project utilizes computer vision technology, specifically object detection and instance segmentation with convolutional neural networks (CNNs), for AI-powered oral disease diagnosis. Unlike traditional models that merely classify an image as containing a cavity, our solutions identify and segment each area of interest (like individual cavities), enabling precise tracking and analysis of each issue. The system currently accepts images, with potential to incorporate video analysis in future versions.

We offer two specialized models:

1. Basic model: An AI model solution to detect and marks oral problems such as cracks, caries, cavities, Stains/calculus, Gum disease, and Ulcer/Cancerous Lesion.

2. A comprehensive model: An AI model solution to detect and marks type of oral diseases, including Gum disease type or Cancerous lesion type.

These models are designed to boost the accuracy and efficiency of dental diagnostics. 

1. Harshith Shankar - Chief Data Scientist

Experienced data scientist with more than 5 years of work experience, a Data Analytics Master’s degree from the University of Galway, and a Business and Management diploma from Queen’s University Belfast. 

2. Dr. Harshitha Ande - Domain Expert - Master’s degree in Health Information Technology & bachelor's degree in dentistry and two years of practical experience

3. Sathya Phani - Intern

B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering student with Full Stack technology experience

4. Chandramouli Samatham - Founder & CEO of Caare

MBA from Dublin Business School, Ireland

3 Months

Ensuring diversity, minimizing barriers, and fostering inclusivity are integral to our team culture. We implement diverse hiring practices, offer equal opportunities for advancement, and provide training on unconscious bias. Our policies promote inclusivity, and we prioritize creating a safe and welcoming environment where all voices are valued and respected. Regular feedback mechanisms and open communication channels help us continuously improve our efforts to champion diversity and inclusion within our team.

Caare Oral AI: Revenue & Profit Outlook (3 Years)

Subscription Model:

•     Basic Plan (individual dentists)

•     Pro Plan (mid-sized practices)

•     Enterprise Plan (large groups)

 Year 1: Regulatory approval in the first 6 months and focus on customer acquisition, modest revenue around INR 6,00,000 by selling 200 Subscriptions at the rate of Rs 6000 (500 per month) per year.

Year 2: Continued growth, increasing revenue to INR 30,00,000, rising profits.

Year 3: Market leader, significant revenue to INR 1,20,00,000, high profitability

Growth Metrics:

•     Paying dentists/practices

•     User engagement with AI features

•     Customer satisfaction & retention

•     Strategic partnerships

 Uncertainties:

•     Competition in dental AI market

•     Regulations & data privacy concerns

Caare Oral AI is positioned for profitability within 3 years, driven by effective execution, customer acquisition, and navigating the competitive landscape.

Caare Oral AI can explore several business models to ensure sustainability and growth:

1. Subscription Model for Dental Professionals:

• Tiered Subscriptions: Offer different subscription plans with varying features. Basic plans could include access to AI-powered diagnostics for common issues, while higher tiers could offer additional functionalities like:
  • Unlimited analysis per month
  • Access to a library of educational resources and treatment protocols
  • Priority specialist consultations through Caare Triage

2. Pay-per-Use Model:

• This model caters to occasional users who may not require a regular subscription. Dentists would pay a set fee per image analysis performed by the AI.

3. Freemium Model:

• Offer a free basic version with limited analysis capabilities. This can attract new users and showcase the value proposition of Caare Dental AI. Upselling to paid subscriptions with more features becomes easier after users experience the benefits.

4. Partnerships and Grants:

• Collaborate with public health organizations and NGOs working in underserved communities. Caare AI could offer discounted rates or bundled services to support their initiatives in exchange for wider reach and potential grant opportunities.

5. Integration Partnerships:

• Partner with dental software companies to integrate Caare AI's analysis capabilities within existing practice management tools. This would provide seamless access for dentists using familiar platforms and generate revenue through integration fees or referral commissions.