System and method for providing an indication of a person's gum health

A device for providing an indication of gum health based on a presence of blood traces in saliva, comprising:

• a light-emitting unit configured to emit light to a sample containing saliva;
• a light-receiving unit configured to receive light reflected back from the sample;
• and
• an analysis unit configured to perform an analysis of the light received by the light-receiving unit and to provide output representative of gum health, and configured to:
• determine measurement values of light received by the light-receiving unit for one or more main wavelengths of the light related to higher light absorption by a constituent of blood, and for one or more auxiliary wavelengths of the light related to lower light absorption by the constituent of blood, and
• determine a discrimination value on the basis of the measurement values, wherein in the process of determining the discrimination value, a measurement value relating to the one or more main wavelengths is adjusted with one or more measurement values relating to the one or more of the auxiliary wavelengths so as to correct the measurement value relating to the one or more main wavelengths for background influences,
• wherein at least the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are incorporated into an oral care appliance, and
• wherein the oral care appliance including a neck portion connected to a brush head, the brush head having tufts extending from a bottom surface thereof, wherein the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are configured to emit and receive light through a first optical window in at least one of the bottom surface of the brush head and neck portion of the oral care appliance.