Perioral force measurement by a radiotelemetry device

Abstract A telemetric method was developed to monitor the active and passive perioral forces exerted on the maxillary dental arch. The system consists of intraoral and extraoral units. An electromagnetic coupling between intraoral and extraoral coils supplies the power of the intraoral unit and transmits the signals induced by variations in perioral forces. The force sensor has a diameter of 6 mm, a thickness of 1 mm, and is constructed of an 0.08 mm thick cantilever beam to which semiconductor strain gauges are cemented. Clinical application of the system was tested in four adult subjects. The forces on the labial surface of an upper central incisor were 1.5 gm/cm2 during rest, 10.9 gm/cm 2 during swallowing, and 5.0 gm/cm2 during speech; the corresponding lingual forces were 4.0 gm/cm 2 , 19.1 gm/cm 2 , and 13.9 gm/cm 2 , respectively. Lingual forces were always higher than labial forces. The telemetry system can be used to monitor up to 6 hours of continual variations in perioral forces.