The Oral Health Issue

The status of oral health across the globe is far from satisfactory. Oral Health is poor in adults even in OECD countries: US, UK, SK, JP, EU, AU. In the US, over 25% of adults suffer from untreated tooth decay and nearly half of the adult population shows signs of gum disease. In the UK, nearly a third of the adult population has tooth decay.

Not only are oral diseases severely painful, they can impair regular bodily functions such as chewing food and enunciating clearly, thus negatively affecting the quality of life. Furthermore, decaying, crooked and missing teeth are an aesthetic issue, and that, combined with the discomfort caused by them, can lead to mental health issues.

The situation is even worse in developing countries. In Indonesia, nearly 89% and 74% of the total population suffers from dental cavities and periodontitis respectively. In the Philippines, over 87% of the population is known to have dental cavities or tooth decay.

Owing to the high costs of dental services, many people across the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries, are unable to afford treatments for their dental issues. Therefore, they go on living in pain and discomfort with their decaying and disfigured teeth, and infected gums.

Moving Forward

The good news is that most of these aforementioned dental problems can be prevented with good oral hygiene habits, the most basic of which is brushing the teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. However, it is easier said than done.

Firstly, there is a lack of awareness around healthy dental practices. For example, people may brush their teeth only once a day, not cover all the dental zones while brushing or not spend enough time brushing each zone.

Secondly, even when there is awareness about robust oral care practices, people may lack the motivation to follow them, or their busy lifestyles may hinder them from brushing their teeth regularly and well. The absence of any tracking mechanisms also makes it difficult to remind people to abide by their routines and remain consistent in following them.

Thirdly, they may not have the right tools to take proper care of their dental health. Many people choose toothbrushes with hard bristles without realizing that hard bristles gradually erode the enamel of the teeth.

Nilo recognizes these as the core problems behind poor oral health everywhere. To solve these issues, it has developed a novel Web3 solution that gamifies oral care and makes it fun and rewarding.