AI-Combined KTV: National Sun Yat-sen University Cross-School Team Aids Indigenous Oral Health Check-ups

(CNA reporter Lin Qiao-lian, Kaohsiung, 30th) To improve the quality of oral care for indigenous elders, National Sun Yat-sen University collaborated with Kaohsiung Medical University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, and National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology. This cross-school AI innovation team accompanied elders to sing KTV while completing comprehensive oral health check-ups, with laughter continuously filling the air. National Sun Yat-sen University issued a press release today stating that the four universities formed a cross-school, cross-disciplinary team to assist elders with oral health check-ups at a cultural health station in Wutai Township, Pingtung. The innovative team used fun technological experiences to allow elders to complete rehabilitation exercises amidst laughter. Associate Professor Chen Yan-jin of National Sun Yat-sen University's Department of Nursing pointed out that this is a social practice project supported by the National Science and Technology Council, titled "Indigenous Elders' Oral Health and Promotion: From Field to Medical and AI Applications." This event particularly focused on common oral functional decline issues among indigenous elderly. The research team's preliminary investigation found that most elders in Wutai are over 80 to 90 years old. Compared to urban elders who average about 74 years old, indigenous elders face more significant aging challenges. With increasing age, elders gradually experience a reduction in existing teeth, difficulty chewing and swallowing, and insufficient tongue strength, leading to a decline in oral function. The team stated that to increase elders' willingness to participate in rehabilitation and health check-ups, they transformed rigid medical examinations into fun challenge games. They introduced the innovatively developed "AI Tongue Muscle Rehabilitation Game Platform" and "KTV Interactive System" to the Wutai Cultural Health Station. Chen Yan-jin explained that the "AI Tongue Muscle Rehabilitation Game Platform" captures tongue movements through virtual reality technology. Elders only need to "move their tongues" in front of the screen to play games, which not only significantly increases their motivation for active training but also accurately translates movements into scientific data. The "KTV Interactive System" combines elders' favorite singing activity with examinations. By singing loudly or reading along with the changing lyrics on the karaoke screen, elders unknowingly complete assessments of lip and oral muscle activity in a relaxed environment. In addition to introducing technological rehabilitation, the team also thoroughly recorded the elders' current dietary status. In the future, they will further optimize the questionnaire design, including categories such as vegetables, protein, whole grains, and fruits in the assessment, to establish a more complete indigenous dietary database. Professor Wang Hong-ren of National Sun Yat-sen University's College of Siwan stated that this system will be developed towards a "TV screen with small AI devices" direction in the future, integrating and building a cloud platform, making it easy for elders to use in familiar indigenous community centers. Additionally, the team will visit more indigenous communities and plans to launch an oral health handbook tailored to indigenous culture. (Editor: Wu Su-rou) 1150430