The University of Hong Kong has developed a new AI-powered mobile app that it says can reliably assess the oral health of patients in seconds.

Over the next three months, volunteers are hoping to use the app to help hundreds of elderly patients who have difficulty visiting a dentist – by making home visits or at three service locations in Lam Tin and Kwun Tong.

Students from HKU’s dentistry faculty are partnering up with legislators and district councillors to identify elderly people in need of help.

The volunteers would then do a quick test simply by taking photos of the patients’ mouths and running it through the app – called GUM AI – which would then make an accurate assessment of the state of their teeth and gums.

No professional training is needed – the app simply displays red for poor oral health, yellow when caution is required, and green means everything looks fine.

The service teams would then give advice to the patients, or refer them to a dentist if needed.

HKU researcher Walter Lam says the technology could make a real difference.

"We hope the GUM AI can raise health awareness among those elderly, so that they can have a regular dental visit, and they can self-care their hygiene, which is quite important to prevent any oral diseases," he said.

Developers of the app say it has proven to be highly reliable, with a 90-percent accuracy rate.

"The accuracy of our AI system is comparable to experienced dentists," Lam said.

The team is aiming to expand the use of the app to other age groups after the end of the three-month pilot project. They say the technology promises to reduce waiting times for oral check-ups, and can help people better monitor their oral health and get treatment early.