A Sensor-enhanced Mouth Guard to Quantitatively Measure Bite Compression Forces.

Otis Dental proposes to develop the Otis Brux-Sensor Night Guard (OBSNG), which is a novel wireless custom night guard system with pressure sensors that can quantitatively measure bite compression forces during sleep (patent granted in June 2021). If successful, anyone suffering from Bruxism will have improved protection against the painful and damaging symptoms via a sensor-enhanced custom night guard. Dental providers can analyze and monitor bruxism compression force trends over time, thereby streamlining quality patient care through optimized treatment plans.

The technology is comprised of the Otis Custom Night Guard with an embedded electronics system that is coupled to a portion of the guard covering an axial plane of a tooth. The electronics system will be comprised of an antenna, capacitive sensor, microcontroller, and power supply. The sensor will produce and measure signals corresponding to bite compression forces generated by a wearer, over a period of time during sleep.

There are four key components to the innovation: (1) Otis Custom Night Guard. The Otis Custom Night Guard offers more comfort and protection from Bruxism compared to current products in the market (OTC and custom-made). After years of research and multiple rounds of pilot testing, Otis determined that their Custom Night Guard would be made with an equal ratio of hard co-polyester and soft polyurethane materials. In doing so, the soft inner liner would provide a level shock absorbance from jaw clenching, while the hard outer layer would provide protection against teeth grinding. It was also determined that making their custom night guards in a 2-3mm thickness, rather than the traditional 4-5mm thickness, would provide optimal comfort and user compliance. (2) Brux-Sensor. To generate the OBSNG, force-sensing resistors (FSRs) will be placed on either side of the posterior region of the Otis Custom Night Guard to collect optimal compression forces generated by jaw muscles around the Temporomandibular Joint. This sensor will allow for accurate measurements of the clenching forces applied by the patients over time. The force data can be measured at high frequencies in excess of once per second and stored in an onboard memory, allowing for a complete time-force profile for one night of usage. In the long term, an accelerometer will be integrated into the sensor to track sleep quality and jaw motion. Eventually, Otis will correlate this data to assess the patients' stress/anxiety level and establish relevant correlations with jaw forces and bruxism treatment plans. (3) Storage/Travel Case. Each OBSNG will come with a storage/travel case designed to store/protect the Otis custom night guard when not in use. The case will also act as a recharge station when not being used - enabling wireless charging and seamless data transferring to the Otis App for biofeedback. (4) Otis App. Otis will develop an app that allows patients to access personalized and regimented dental care tips and exercises that alleviate bruxism rates, dental wear and pain, headaches, shoulder tension, etc. (e.g., DIY jaw/head/ neck/shoulder massage videos). The app will also provide educational wellness information, instructional exercises to reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality (e.g., 4-7-8 breathing, meditation reminder, etc.), and discounts to partnering stress therapy apps (e.g., Noom, Headspace, Calm, etc.).

Participants will be recruited to test the OBSNG for 21 days, during 6+ hours of sleep. Upon completing the study and collecting all compression force data from each participant, the research team will begin averaging all compression force episodes throughout each of the 6+ hours of sleep per night and graph all 21 nights of averaged scores to show every participant's Bruxism pattern during the study. Upon successful build of a working prototype, the team will accomplish their first milestone by determining the bruxism severity (no/mild or mod/severe), based on the range of compression forces. The second milestone will be achieved by validating participants' bruxism severity through data points showing compression force.