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Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

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31–40 of 85 posts

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#31

Can you drop some non legal plain language on what you do with data? Frankly speaking, I 100% would assume you're going to sell my DNA and information to huge body of people.

We do not sell your DNA and do not have future plans to do so, in fact we don't currently store your personal genome information, and would inform you if this were to change. We will ask for consent before doing any analysis on your personal DNA, if we were to expand studies to include human genomic markers.

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#32
Is one test sufficient to really be valuable to a customer? The oral biome seems pretty wild and varying, even just with changes in diet. It seems one test may be useful, but it seems that many tests at some interval are more useful (assessing change, intervention outcomes, etc.). It seems like you would want your initial customers to be people with chronic issues or genetic history predisposing them. Wouldn’t a single test result be more of personal trivia to the average person?

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#33
post #26

> detect the earliest signs of cavities and gum disease - then provide evidence-based recommendations and treatments to help prevent them. What preventative treatment is this? If it isn't just "brush & floss", then what is it? If it's so great, why not just tell everyone about it now - why do you need a microbiome test?

There's Cavibloc, which is supposed to reduce cavity-inducing bacteria. It was developed at UCLA. There's also CloSYS, which is basically a highly diluted bleach that clears your mouth of bacteria. It is ADA approved. There's also Xylitol, which is also supposed to help reduce bad bacteria. I've been using all of these for the past year, and my most recent dental cleaning had almost no tartar buildup, which is really unusual for me. I have poor flossing habits. You can look into the book "Kiss your dentist goodbye" by Dr. Ellie Phillips for more info. FYI she's not a quack, but some of her claims have been controversial among other dentists.

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#34
post #32

Is one test sufficient to really be valuable to a customer? The oral biome seems pretty wild and varying, even just with changes in diet. It seems one test may be useful, but it seems that many tests at some interval are more useful (assessing change, intervention outcomes, etc.). It seems like you would want your initial customers to be people with chronic issues or genetic history predisposing them. Wouldn’t a sing…

Great question! We recommend a cadence similar to that of a dental checkup (at least every 6 months) depending on your oral health status. We will eventually provide insight into whether applied interventions are effective at improving your oral health, and can prescribe personalized recommendations based around your oral microbiome. A single test can provide unique insight and objective data to users about their oral health status, and in the near future we hope to be able to provide a complete end-to-end solution (from test to diagnosis to treatment) even after just your first test.

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#35
Focusing on oral seems like a strange strategy.

Ubiome offered 5 kinds of tests including oral. The vast majority of test purchases were poop related.

What size of a market do you envision? Are you trying to grow to ubiome's level or stay niche?

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#36
post #26

> detect the earliest signs of cavities and gum disease - then provide evidence-based recommendations and treatments to help prevent them. What preventative treatment is this? If it isn't just "brush & floss", then what is it? If it's so great, why not just tell everyone about it now - why do you need a microbiome test?

Each microbiome is unique, and preventive measures against bacteria that cause gum disease may not be effective against bacteria that contribute to cavities and vice versa. The solutions (such as prescription-strength fluoridated toothpastes, antimicrobial mouthwashes, or personalized probiotics) that we plan to recommend may require a prescription that we anticipate we will be able to fulfill only after a diagnostic…

Since you mention prescriptions and providers, does this mean you intend to distribute the product through dentists?

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#37
post #35

Focusing on oral seems like a strange strategy. Ubiome offered 5 kinds of tests including oral. The vast majority of test purchases were poop related. What size of a market do you envision? Are you trying to grow to ubiome's level or stay niche?

Regarding the oral focus: Our core technology is based around the oral microbiome for a number of key reasons.

1. decades of research have shown causal relationships between the oral microbiome and preventable gum disease. 2. the oral microbiome is much lower in diversity than the fecal microbiome, granting the opportunity for the development of relatively low-cost diagnostics that leverage the microbiome. 3. new and exciting studies have shown correlations between the oral microbiome and a number of systemic health indications, which we hope to continue to uncover with our platform.

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Each microbiome is unique, and preventive measures against bacteria that cause gum disease may not be effective against bacteria that contribute to cavities and vice versa. The solutions (such as prescription-strength fluoridated toothpastes, antimicrobial mouthwashes, or personalized probiotics) that we plan to recommend may require a prescription that we anticipate we will be able to fulfill only after a diagnostic…

Since you mention prescriptions and providers, does this mean you intend to distribute the product through dentists?

Forgoing the details, from the user perspective, the product is almost entirely direct to consumer, and the Bristle platform provides users the opportunity to both request a test and further consult with a dentist. Prescriptions and interventions will be physician-mediated upon interpretation of test results.

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#39
post #35

Focusing on oral seems like a strange strategy. Ubiome offered 5 kinds of tests including oral. The vast majority of test purchases were poop related. What size of a market do you envision? Are you trying to grow to ubiome's level or stay niche?

Oral diseases like cavities and gum disease are some of the most prevalent in the world and are largely preventable if detected early enough. Current tools like x-rays and observational screenings only detect symptoms once they have manifested. We can use genomics and the oral microbiome to realize earlier detection and ultimately, reduce disease progression.

There is a large portion of the population that actively avoids dental visits out of inconvenience or fear/anxiety (60-80MM). We provide a non-invasive, low-cost way for these individuals to understand the status of their oral health from the convenience of their home.

Re: Launch HN: Bristle (YC W21) – At-home microbiome test to improve oral health

#40
post #26

> detect the earliest signs of cavities and gum disease - then provide evidence-based recommendations and treatments to help prevent them. What preventative treatment is this? If it isn't just "brush & floss", then what is it? If it's so great, why not just tell everyone about it now - why do you need a microbiome test?

There's Cavibloc, which is supposed to reduce cavity-inducing bacteria. It was developed at UCLA. There's also CloSYS, which is basically a highly diluted bleach that clears your mouth of bacteria. It is ADA approved. There's also Xylitol, which is also supposed to help reduce bad bacteria. I've been using all of these for the past year, and my most recent dental cleaning had almost no tartar buildup, which is really…

> but some of her claims have been controversial among other dentists.

I have a lot of dentist family and friends. Anything that isn't "drill and fill" is controversial to them. :)

Dental school these days seems to really stress that everything must be treated with intervention by a dentist that happens to bring money to their practice.

They are also super frightened of new technology. There was a technology that was like a new kind of mouthpiece with microbrushes that could brush your entire mouth in a few seconds. The dentists I know would barely even look at the picture before dismissing it.

I don't know why this is, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the way their schooling works.

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