METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTING ORAL HYGIENE TOOL

1 . A method for selecting a toothbrush for a subject, the method comprising:

maintaining a data store comprising information for a plurality of toothbrushes, each of which is associated with a category;

receiving image data that shows a plurality of teeth of the subject;

processing the image data to identify a dental arch of the subject;

processing the image data to classify the dental arch according to a classification that is selected from a plurality of candidate classifications;

using the selected classification to select, from the data store, a toothbrush having a category that is associated with the selected classification of the subject's dental arch; and

providing the subject with the selected toothbrush, information about the selected toothbrush, or both.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of candidate classifications comprise:

a first classification corresponding to a regular or wide arch;

a second classification corresponding to a narrow arch; and

a third classification corresponding to a truncated arch.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:

each of the candidate classifications is associated with a corresponding angle; and

processing the image data to classify the dental arch comprises:

measuring a plurality of angles formed between a plurality of combinations of teeth of the dental arch, and

selecting one of the candidate classifications that is associated with a smallest of the measured angles.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein processing the image data to classify the dental arch comprises providing the image data to a trained image classification model to return one or more candidate classifications.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising training an image classification model on a plurality of labeled images of dental arches to generate the trained image classification model.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the image data to identify the dental arch of the user comprises:

analyzing the image data to determine whether the image data shows at least a minimum number of teeth;

if the image data shows at least the minimum number of teeth, determining that at least a portion of the teeth form the dental arch; and

if the image data does not include at least the minimum number of teeth, prompting a user to take one or more additional images until the user returns image data that shows at least the minimum number of teeth.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein either:

the image data is from a camera image, and prompting the user to take the one or more additional images comprises prompting the user to use a digital camera to take a new image; or

the image data is that of a dental impression tray, and prompting the user to take the one or more additional images comprises prompting the subject, or prompting a dental professional to instruct the subject, to bite down on a new dental impression tray.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving additional information about the subject; and

when selecting the toothbrush from the data store, also using the additional information to select the toothbrush.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the additional information about the subject and using the additional information to select the toothbrush comprises:

determining an age status of the subject; and

only selecting a toothbrush that is associated with the age status of the subject.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the additional information about the subject and using the additional information to select the toothbrush comprises:

processing the image data to determine a spacing classification of the teeth of the subject; and

selecting a toothbrush that is also associated with the spacing classification.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the additional information about the subject and using the additional information to select the toothbrush comprises:

determining whether the subject has braces; and

only selecting a toothbrush that is associated with braces.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the additional information about the subject and using the additional information to select the toothbrush comprises:

determining whether the subject has a specified dental condition, wherein the dental condition comprises one or more of the following: gum disease, furcation, or back triangle; and

selecting a toothbrush that is also associated with the specified dental condition.

13 . A method of treating a dental patient comprising the method of claim 1 .

14 . A system comprising a memory device containing programming instructions that are configured to, upon execution by a processor, cause the processor to:

access a data store comprising information for a plurality of toothbrushes, each of which is associated with a category; and

upon receiving image data that shows a plurality of teeth of the subject:

process the image data to identify a dental arch of the subject,

process the image data to classify the dental arch according to a classification that is selected from a plurality of candidate classifications,

use the selected classification to select, from the data store, a toothbrush having a category that is associated with the selected classification of the subject's dental arch, and

output, via a user interface, information identifying the toothbrush.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:

the plurality of candidate classifications comprise:

a first classification corresponding to a regular or wide arch,

a second classification corresponding to a narrow arch, and

a third classification corresponding to a truncated arch;

each of the candidate classifications is associated with a corresponding angle; and

the instructions to process the image data to classify the dental arch comprise instructions to:

measure a plurality of angles formed between a plurality of combinations of teeth of the dental arch, and

select one of the candidate classifications that is associated with a smallest of the measured angles.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions to process the image data to classify the dental arch comprise instructions to provide the image to a trained image classification model to return one or more candidate classifications.

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions to process the image data to identify the dental arch of the user comprise instructions to:

analyze the image data to determine whether the image data shows at least a minimum number of teeth;

if the image data shows at least the minimum number of teeth, determine that at least a portion of the teeth form the dental arch; and

if the image data does not show at least the minimum number of teeth, prompt a user to provide a new image until the user returns an image that includes at least the minimum number of teeth.

18 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising instructions to, in response to receiving additional information about the subject:

when selecting the toothbrush from the data store, also use the additional information to select the toothbrush and only selecting a toothbrush that corresponds to the additional information,

wherein the additional information comprises one or more of the following:

an age status of the subject,

a spacing classification of the teeth of the subject,

an indication that the subject has braces, or

an indication that the subject has a dental condition that comprises one or more of the following: gum disease, furcation, or back triangle.

19 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising additional programming instructions that are configured to place the toothbrush in a shopping cart of an e-commerce platform.

20 . A system, comprising:

a data store comprising information for a plurality of toothbrushes, each of which is associated with a category;

a processor; and

a memory containing programming instructions that are configured to, upon execution by a processor, cause the processor to, upon receiving image data that shows a plurality of teeth of the subject:

process the image data to identify a dental arch of the subject,

process the image data to classify the dental arch according to a classification that is selected from a plurality of candidate classifications,

use the selected classification to select, from the data store, a toothbrush having a category that is associated with the selected classification of the subject's dental arch, and

output, via a user interface, information identifying the toothbrush.