Dreaded trips to the dentist sparked an idea for four Chicagoland area middle schoolers to create a device they say fills a gap in the community.
Their invention, Plaque Tracker, has earned them first place in the CEF “You Be the Solution” Challenge, a national STEM competition, and a $16,000 scholarship.
Tasked with making something that solves a health problem, Naperville residents and rising seventh-graders AbduRahman Yuldash, a student at Kennedy Junior High School, and Umar Kandimov, a student at Scullen Middle School, along with Saliha Nurmukhamedova and Nasima Zair, rising freshmen at Walter Payton College Prep and IMSA, chose to tackle cavities and tooth decay.
It’s an issue they say is too common, with few effective preventative tools.
“Products right now are reactive, so they try to prevent or detect after the damage has already been done…But PlaqueTracker was designed to be sustainable, affordable, and detect before damage has ever been done by detecting to protect,” said Yuldash.
PlaqueTracker aims to help prevent cavities
Their device comes with a reusable mouth guard, a hydrogel insert, and a sensor with a pH strip inside that connects to the mouth guard.
With the hydrogel in place, the mouth guard is inserted. Within a few seconds, it reacts with plaque, changing color from blue to purple to highlight problem areas.
The sensor also reads the color of the internal pH strip and sends the information to the PlaqueTracker app, the second layer of detection, according to the students.
“We wanted a way to translate the results from the sensor and the hydrogel into a user-friendly platform, so we created the app,” said Yuldash.
It also offers dietary recommendations based on the results of the PlaqueTracker.
Students excel in different stages of the CEF competition
The students said it took several months to build the device, but before they could even start, they needed to pass a chemistry test.
That was the first round of the STEM Challenge, which kicked off in October, with more than 13,000 students nationwide competing.
With coaching from their mentors, Dr. Jigyasa and Sachleen Tuteja, the team was successful and advanced to the second round, where they had to build the PlaqueTracker and submit a video pitch about the device.
“The organizers had to pick the five best videos in this whole competition, and thankfully, we were one of those,” said Kandimov.
In June, they headed to Houston for the final round of the competition, presenting their product in front of a panel of judges.
“We practiced a ton. We practiced every little detail, like back posture, how to even walk in, how to hold the microphones. That practice paid off,” said Yuldash.
PlaqueTracker wins first place
The students emerged as the winners, taking home a $16,000 scholarship split among them. They also recently met with Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli, who commended them for their hard work.
The countless hours spent studying and building the PlaqueTracker were worth it in the long run, the students said.
“Our team was two eighth graders and two sixth graders. Me and AbduRahman were the only sixth graders, and there were teams with all eighth graders. And I honestly thought we would be a weak link in the team, but that proved wrong when we got first place,” said Kandimov.
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