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An app twice a day keeps the dentist away!
Dentist Ben Underwood has developed a unique free toothbrush timer app called Brush DJ to make brushing less boring! The app plays 2 minutes of a song taken from the music library stored on the user’s device. This encourages people to brush for an effective length of time whilst rediscovering their music collection.
This short YouTube video gives an overview of the free Brush DJ app
Brush DJ was the first oral health app to be approved by the NHS and has been downloaded in 207 countries on to 495,000 devices.
Brush DJ also allows users to set reminders to brush twice a day, floss, use a mouthrinse and when next to visit their dentist or hygienist.
A recent survey by the British Dental Health Foundation reported nearly 59% of women and 35% regularly skip brushing their teeth at bedtime. The government’s latest dental health survey found only 21% of people use dental floss and only 26% use an electric toothbrush. A US study reported that the average time spent brushing is 46 seconds- considerably shorter than the recommended 2 minutes.
Ben says he had the idea for Brush DJ after watching an episode of the BBCs Apprentice, where candidates were asked to design an app. He felt this would be an ideal tool to make people aware of the latest advice and encourage them to brush twice a day for the right length of time, to help reduce the risk of gum disease, decay
and bad breath.
The app is available for Apple and Android devices. Ben welcomes feedback on how Brush DJ can be improved and can be contacted via the website www.BrushDJ.com.
Images
Video
The Brush DJ video can be found on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plUxuzEvINg feel free to embed or place a link.
References
British Dental Health Foundation Survey 2011 http://www.dentalhealth.org/news/details/483
Preventive behaviour and risks to oral health – a report from the Adult Dental Health Survey 2009. Published 24 March 2011. The Health and Social Care Information Centre. http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/theme5_preventivebehaviourandriskstooralhealth.pdf
Smartphones, apps and young people – Learning 2.0 update. Public Library Services blog 2011. http://blog.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/index.cfm/2011/8/29/smartphones-and-young-people–learning-20-update
The effect of brushing time and dentifrices on dental plaque removal in vivo. Published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene Summer 2009. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19723429