Monitor dental activity with bluetooth

Learn about this James Bond device.

Recently, scientists at Taiwan National University have been developing a type of electronic tooth that can transmit signals. They experimented with attaching a sensor to their mouth to monitor the activity of the mouth, along with a Bluetooth reader capable of analyzing the data and reporting exactly what went in and out of your mouth.

Our mouth is an organ that performs a lot of functions. We breathe it, say it, kiss it, eat it, show emotion, and sometimes we even use it as a beer opener. Scientists say that this is a potential source of data for monitoring human health. By attaching a sensor to it, monitoring your habits and underlying health problems can be much easier, for example for an alcoholic or a smoker.

The sensor attached to the new tooth is only the first step in this direction. With a three-dimensional accelerometer, we can easily track every movement of the mouth, including chewing, swallowing, speaking, coughing, ... with data transmitted to a Smartphone via Bluetooth.

Still in the testing phase, this James Bond-style device will be covered with a layer of plastic that is water-repellent and is bonded to the teeth by a dental cement. Initially, the signal transmission will be conducted through a conductor connected from the mouthpiece to the analyzer. It sounds pretty low-tech, but at least it helps the non-accidental ingestion of sensors and transceivers.

Eight subjects, including 3 females and 5 males, were fitted with this device and were required to perform some operations such as coughing, chewing, drinking and talking loudly. According to the analysis, this sensor is capable of identifying up to 93.8% accuracy rate, and using data from 7 people to predict eighth activity, this rate is 59.8% .

Scientists are trying to take the next step in testing, allowing for wireless transmission and battery charging. Then, their intention would be to increase the safety and accuracy of the system.