Teeth sensors could rein in compliance

Sensors embedded in teeth could tell doctors when people have defied medical advice to give up smoking or eat less. Built into a tiny circuit board that fits in a tooth cavity, the sensor includes an accelerometer that sends data on mouth motion to a smartphone. The device can be fitted into dentures, and researchers plan to miniaturize it to fit into a cavity or crown.

Machine learning software is taught to recognize jaw motion patterns to determine how much of the time the patient is chewing, drinking, speaking, coughing or smoking.

The inventors, from the National Taiwan University in Taipei, want to use the mouth as a window on a variety of health issues. A prototype implant installed in dentures detected oral activities correctly 94 percent of the time.