The tooth, which is designed to be
worn much like an artificial denture, collects data on the movement of the
mouth before transmitting it to a computer or smartphone.
The researchers behind the device
plan to install a Bluetooth or Wifi transmitter that can send the information
wirelessly.
They claim the device could be used
to help doctors gather information about the behaviour and eating habits of
their patients.
It could help provide information
about how often an obese patient is really eating, for example, or help monitor
a patient’s breathing.
The tooth, which looks like a normal
molar but has an accelerometer embedded inside, could also be used to help
people with speech defects or even to help train singers.
Hao-hua Chu, a computer scientist at
the National Taiwan University who supervised the project, said: “The human
mouth is one part of the human body that is almost always in constant use.
“We use our mouth to perform some of
the most important daily functions, such as eating, drinking, speaking,
coughing, breathing and smoking.
“Because the mouth is an opening into
human health, this oral sensory system has the potential to enhance exiting
oral-related health care monitoring applications such as dietary tracking.”
The prototype, which is fixed into
the mouth during denture cement, currently uses thin wires to connect it to a
computer.
It must also be taken out to be
cleaned and to recharge the battery.
During the tests, the scientists also
attached a safety string to the tooth to prevent any of the participants from
swallowing it while they were wearing it.
They asked eight users to chew gum,
drink, talk and cough to evaluate its accuracy for gathering data.
They found that it could classify
activities with up to 93% accuracy.
However, the researchers say that
each device would need to be calibrated to each person due to differences in
the way their mouth moves when chewing and talking.
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