The article discusses the importance of oral hygiene in overall health and introduces a novel solution called Federated Learning (FL) for object detection in oral health analysis. FL is a privacy-preserving approach that allows data to remain on the local device while training the model on the edge, ensuring that sensitive patient images are not exposed to third parties.
The use of FL in oral health analysis is particularly crucial due to the sensitivity of the data involved. By keeping the data local and only sharing the updated weights, FL provides a secure and efficient method for training the model. This approach not only protects patient privacy but also ensures that the algorithm continues to learn and improve by aggregating the updated weights from multiple devices via The Federated Averaging algorithm.
To facilitate the application of FL in oral health analysis, the authors have developed a mobile app called OralH. This app allows users to conduct self-assessments through mouth scans, providing quick insights into their oral health. The app can detect potential oral health concerns or diseases and even provide details about dental clinics in the user’s locality for further assistance.
One of the notable features of the OralH app is its design as a Progressive Web Application (PWA). This means that users can access the app seamlessly across different devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops. The app’s versatility ensures that users can conveniently monitor their oral health regardless of the device they are using.
The application utilizes state-of-the-art segmentation and detection techniques, leveraging the YOLOv8 object detection model. YOLOv8 is known for its high performance and accuracy in detecting objects in images, making it an ideal choice for identifying oral hygiene issues and diseases.
This study demonstrates the potential of FL in the healthcare domain, specifically in oral health analysis. By preserving data privacy and leveraging advanced object detection techniques, FL can provide valuable insights into a patient’s oral health while maintaining the highest level of privacy and security. The OralH app offers a user-friendly platform for individuals to monitor their oral health and take proactive measures to prevent and address potential issues.