Real-Time Continuous Tongue Pressure Measurement With Mouthguard-Type Pressure-Sensing Device.

OBJECTIVE: It is well-established that occlusion and dental arch form are related to the morphology and function of the oral soft tissues. Oral soft tissue dynamic assessment is important for elucidating the causes of malocclusion and developing effective treatment methods. We previously developed a small mouthguard-type sensing device for measuring oral soft tissue pressure; however, its continuous measurement performance had not been thoroughly evaluated. This study assessed the device's ability to continuously measure tongue pressure applied to the palatal surfaces of the maxillary anterior teeth during multiple swallowing cycles.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The device consisting of a pressure sensor, wireless communicator and battery was created. Tongue pressure on the palatal surface of the left maxillary central incisor during swallowing was measured during the swallowing of 10 mL of water, repeated 10 times in a row in one subject.

RESULTS: The number of pressure spikes corresponded to the number of swallows, enabling clear discrimination of each swallowing event. The mean tongue pressure per swallow was 181.97 ± 31.84 g/cm2, with a maximum of 224.97 g/cm2 and a minimum of 137.72 g/cm2. The mean tongue pressure per swallow measured was comparable to previously reported values for tongue pressure during swallowing.

CONCLUSIONS: The MG-type pressure-sensing device developed in this study successfully measured tongue pressure continuously in one subject. Future studies with an expanded sample cohort will facilitate a comprehensive assessment of the device for its ability to continuously monitor oral soft tissue pressure, which fluctuates throughout the day over extended periods.