Dental Experts Produce Sensor-Containing Dentures

Tue, 27 May 2008

Sensor-fitted dentures have been developed by a team of French scientists in a bid to reveal the tongue's hidden movement during speech.

According to reports by the New Scientist publication, the sensor dentures record pressure exerted by the tongue which could enable researchers in Grenoble, France, to minimalise the speech interference of false teeth and braces .

The team of researchers claim it's very difficult for them to know how much pressure is exerted by the tongue on the teeth while producing some speech, for example when making a ‘T' sound.

Such measurement had previously required the researchers to stick sensors to people's teeth, or embed them into an artificial palate, which actually hampered the normal functioning of the tongue.

But for their latest test, the French team opted to hide their sensors inside dentures made for 20 volunteers who had already lost their teeth .

The sensors were arranged on the palette for recording tongue pressure while pronouncing particular consonants.

The output was transmitted to a computer via a wire running along the inside of the patient’s cheek, but away from their tongue, and also simultaneously recorded using a microphone.
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