A dental floss has been developed that can detect stress and track a wide range of conditions including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
A team from Tufts University has created a device using specially-designed floss that can accurately measure cortisol – a stress hormone – in real time.
The saliva-sensing dental floss looks similar to a common floss pick, with the string stretched across two prongs. It detects the saliva using a capillary action through a very narrow channel in the floss. The fluid is then drawn into the pick handle and an attached tab, where it spreads across electrodes that detect the cortisol.
How does the dental floss recognise stress hormones?
The dental floss recognises cortisol – a stress hormone – through electrodes using a technology developed almost 30 years ago called electropolymerised molecularly imprinted polymers (eMIPs).
They work in a way that is similar to creating a plaster cast of your hand. A polymer is formed around a template molecule – in this case cortisol – which is later removed to leave behind binding sites. These sites have a physical and chemical shape ‘memory’ of the target molecule so they can bind free-floating molecules that are coming in.
‘It started in a collaboration with several departments across Tufts, examining how stress and other cognitive states affect problem solving and learning,’ said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering.
‘We didn’t want measurement to create an additional source of stress, so we thought, can we make a sensing device that becomes part of your day-to-day routine? Cortisol is a stress marker found in saliva, so flossing seemed like a natural fit to take a daily sample.’
‘Monitoring with the sensor can be easy and allows for timely interventions when needed’
Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering
Successful stress monitoring
While the dental floss sensor is quantitatively highly accurate, the practice of tracking markers in saliva is best for monitoring, not for the initial diagnosis of a condition, says Sonkusale. This is partially because saliva markers can still have variations between individuals.
‘For diagnostics, blood is still the gold standard, but once you are diagnosed and put on medication, if you need to track, say, a cardiovascular condition over time to see if your heart health is improving, then monitoring with the sensor can be easy and allows for timely interventions when needed,’ he added.
The researchers hope that bringing the device into the hands of individuals without a need for training will make it possible to fold stress monitoring into many aspects of healthcare. They are currently trying to bring the product to the market.
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