Digital sensors are powerful instruments that help track human physiological indicators – crucial data that may relieve various conditions and disorders before their symptoms appear.
Intraoral scanners may especially benefit medicine, as the information they can gather can be used in various fields besides dentistry, such as sleep-related and psychological disorders.
Recently, a research collaboration between TU Delf and Radboudumc presented a new tool that can effectively collect various data from the human mouth, from temperature and bite tension to pulse and head movement. This scanner looks like a standard dental brace used for occlusion correctness. It has no battery and requires only a smartphone to function.
How does it work, and what can it do – find out in this review.
Priceless data
The oral cavity can provide us with various information using:
- Jaw movement sensors – to explore eating and speaking habits, detect bruxism, etc.
- Saliva analyzers – to identify pathogens, acid levels, and other biomarkers in the human mouth.
- Temperature/pressure sensors monitor inflammations, prosthesis conditions, and other important indicators for dentistry.
According to research reports, all these tools can potentially be implemented in digital braces to gather data, which doctors can then use for diagnosis and treatment.
Technical characteristics
This tool has no battery unit due to the toxicity of its components. Instead, engineers are using so-called capacitors – these components can store a small amount of energy without any chemical reactions, unlike batteries.
Still, the amount of this energy is so small that the system also requires an energy harvesting unit. After various trials with mastication and thermal energy harvesting approaches produced insufficient impact, the team decided to use the NFC interface. This wireless connection, which we usually use during payments in grocery stores with smartphones or Apple watches, can transfer enough energy for sensors to work.
NFC is also used for data exchange – you can "read" stored information (and charge braces at the same time) with your device by using a special application.
Additionally, digital bracers are equipped with power and timing control units that control the power management of other units, turning them on/off during special periods. Thus, certain sensors will work only during special timeframes when they can be used more productively.
What's next?
Currently, the device is in the prototype stage, and its effectiveness has been demonstrated during laboratory trials. The team is working on the integration of a new set of scanners on the platform, trying to cover as many physiological measurements and biomarkers as possible. For now, the production price of the device is about 150€, so the sales price will be about a few hundred euros.
Wearable intraoral sensors – are the newest promising trend in dentistry that probably become mainstream in the coming decade. For instance, MIT scientists released their own prototype, as we reported recently.
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