THE SOURCE FOR FOODTECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
SENSITIVE TEETH Forget diets and food diaries to keep track of what you eat on a daily basis.
26 JUNE 2018
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Freephone: 0800 EUROFINS | 0800 387 63467 AUCKLAND | HAMILTON | WELLINGTON | CHRISTCHURCH
FT142
Tufts University researchers have developed
a tooth sensor sticker that can track
glucose, salt and alcohol - wirelessly
transmitting the information to a device
to keep tabs on nutrition and calories. The
2mm by 2mm flexible sensor can bond to a tooth’s
minutely bumpy surface and has three layers: two
outer gold rings and an inner layer of a bio-responsive
material that’s sensitive to glucose, salt and alcohol.
These substances shift the material’s electrical properties
and cause it to transmit a different spectrum
of radiofrequency waves. Together, the three layers
act as an antennae, broadcasting the information
to mobile devices like phones or tablets. While the
material in the prototype is only sensitive to a few
foods, researchers hope to develop it to detect a far
wider range of chemicals and nutrients. Research
leader Professor Fiorenzo Omenetto says a database
of food consumption could be located in the sensor
to manage nutrition. “That could be reminding us
that we’re indulging too much in sugar or something
like that.” Scientists have developed wearables for
monitoring food intake before, with most in the form
of mouthguards. Japanese, American and Brazilian
scientists created similar biosensors, but all required
a mouthguard that was uncomfortable to wear. Diabetics
could theoretically use the new tooth-mounted
sensor to monitor their sugar intake and broadcast
the information to their doctors, Omenetto says. It
could also be helpful for people with other medical
conditions that require them to monitor their eating,
such as patients with high blood pressure who need
to limit their salt, or people with coeliac disease who
need to completely avoid gluten. The device could
also potentially detect physiological states, like changes
in saliva that signal developing gum disease. “This
study is an interesting proof-of-concept demonstration
that small, wireless biosensors can detect
changes in saliva due to the presence of compounds
such as salt, sugar and alcohol,” says Ben Almquist,
a professor of bioengineering at Imperial College
London. But, Almquist says, there will be “significant
hurdles” before the technology is ready for daily use
as a food diary substitute. “For instance, for continuous
monitoring of food intake, the sensors will need
to be robust enough to withstand abrasion during
chewing. In addition, foods are complex mixtures of
compounds including salts, sugars and proteins, and
the relative amounts of each that enter into saliva will
depend on factors such as the nature of the food, the
amount of chewing, and the time in the mouth before
swallowing.” But other, less complex uses may be
closer at hand, Almquist says. Detecting compounds
in saliva like lactate, which is important in monitoring
critical care patients, as well as athletes during
training, could be simpler to achieve.Then, there’s
the critical question of aesthetics: how many people
want what basically looks like a computer chip on a
tooth? “It’s a bit of a leap of faith – some people may
find it horrible,” Omenetto says. “You could make
devices that are shaped like a flower or something.”
The sensor could simply be mounted on a back tooth
where it’s not visible.
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