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The oral sensor unit consists of a small circuit board with a 4.5 mm x 10 mm accelerometer that can be fitted into a patient’s dentures or braces. The board is coated with dental resin to protect it against saliva. In a preliminary test in eight individuals (five male, three female), a prototype of the device recognised oral activities correctly almost 94 per cent of the time.
In the experiments, the participants performed four different activities for about 3 seconds. For the coughing activity, they were asked to cough continuously. For the drinking activity, they drank a bottle of water. For the chewing activity, they chewed a piece of gum. For the speaking activity, they read out an extract from a selected article. In total, the researchers analysed 480 activity samples.
The prototype used in this study was attached to an external power source, which also prevented the participants from swallowing the sensor units. In the future, however, the researchers hope to implement a microbattery and a small Bluetooth radio capable of wireless transmission of the sensor data to a nearby mobile device, such as a smartphone, for real-time monitoring applications.
The researchers believe that their invention may benefit doctors in monitoring patients who grind their teeth, have been advised to restrict their food or fluid intake, or who are trying to give up smoking.
The findings will be presented at the International Symposium on Wearable Computers, a conference dedicated to research in wearable computing and issues related to on-body and worn mobile technologies, in Zurich, Switzerland, in September.
