The mouth guard
sensor offers an easy and reliable way
to monitor uric
acid levels in human saliva.
(September 1, 2015) Engineers
at the University of California, San Diego, have developed a mouth guard that
can monitor health markers, such as lactate, cortisol and uric acid, in saliva
and transmit the information wirelessly to a smart phone, laptop or tablet.
The technology, which is at a proof-of-concept stage, could
be used to monitor patients continuously without invasive procedures, as well
as to monitor athletes’ performance or stress levels in soldiers and pilots. In
this study, engineers focused on uric acid, which is a marker related to
diabetes and to gout. Currently, the only way to monitor the levels of uric
acid in a patient is to draw blood.
The team, led by nanoengineering professor Joseph Wang and
electrical engineering professor Patrick Mercier, both from the University of
California, San Diego, describes the mouth guard’s design and performance this
month in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
“The ability to monitor continuously and non-invasively
saliva biomarkers holds considerable promise for many biomedical and fitness
applications,” said Wang.