Oral cancers in developing countries can be a major public health issue if left unchecked. In some areas the lack of dentists or dental nurses can make routine dental check-ups impossible. To overcome this problem, researchers from Stanford have developed a new smart-phone-based diagnostic device to enable earlier diagnosis of these oral lesions.
Manu Prakash, PhD, an assistant professor of bioengineering has engineered a device called the OScan which works with a smartphone to create detailed images of the oral cavity and screens the mouths for suspicious oral lesions. The OScan, is approximately the size of a packet of gum and clips to the camera of any smartphone. It contains two rows of fluorescent light emitting diodes which illuminate the mouth and highlight lesions and dark spots. Naturally the presence of the smartphone allows for the transmission of images to a remote site for diagnosis if necessary.
The OScan is designed for low cost and high volume production, with an estimated material cost of just a few dollars making it an affordable choice for public health initiatives. The OScan prototype is in the early phases of testing but has received quite a bit of attention to date winning first and second place, respectively, for the mHealth Alliance Award and the Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project.
Stanford announcement: New smartphone scans from Stanford could prevent needless oral cancer deaths…
Project page: OScan…