Date of Award
Fall 11-21-2025
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
M.S. in Computer Science
Organizational Unit
Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, Computer Science
First Advisor
Kerstin Haring
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Robot, Social robot
Abstract
With over 50% of children having one by the age of 8, cavities are the most common childhood chronic disease in the United States[1]. Many parents and guardians face resistance when trying to help their children build good oral hygiene habits. By making brushing time more fun, children can create positive associations with brushing, establishing habits that can last a lifetime. Brush–E Bot is designed to make brushing engaging and educational, teaching children how to brush correctly while making the experience as fun as possible. This work will include an overview of the robot’s ideation, iterative prototyping, electronics, and software. A two week in-home longitudinal study has been completed as a preliminary test of Brush–E Bot as a tool to improve children’s oral hygiene habits and, consequently, decreasing the potential for cavity development. This study shows promise in Brush–E Bot’s effectiveness and shows how further research and development is necessary to examine the robot in a larger context.
Copyright Date
11-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Maisey Toczek
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
101 pgs
File Size
14.7 MB
Recommended Citation
Toczek, Maisey, "Brush-E Bot: Exploring the Benefits of a Robot Companion to Improve Children’s Oral Hygiene Habits" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2679.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2679
Included in
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Commons, Dental Hygiene Commons, Dental Public Health and Education Commons, Pediatric Dentistry and Pedodontics Commons, Software Engineering Commons