Stress is a silent killer of our everyday life that interferes with both mental and physical health. Just think of a rather easy device say dental floss-which, as you practice dental hygiene, would gauge your level of stress. A group of researchers at Tufts University have come up with such an invention called the saliva-sensing dental floss which achieves the same by providing a non-invasive method of measuring stress by detecting the levels of the salivary cortisol within the mouth. Recently, this revolutionary technology was described in a study where molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were incorporated into thread microfluidics to show stress information in real-time. Now let us get into this change machine, how it works and why it is so important.
What is Saliva Sensing Dental floss?
The typewriter-sized dental floss is a portable and comfortable gadget that estimates cortisol a main stress hormone directly using the saliva. Compared to the traditional stress tests that involve equipments in the laboratory or an invasive surgery, this tool brings in high technology in a well-known oral care product. The floss has a number of regions: a flossing thread where the sample is to be obtained, a microfluidic thread where the sample is to be moved, a sensing zone where cortisol is to be detected, and a waste zone where it can be discarded. This smart design makes monitoring of the stress as easy as flossing your precious teeth.
The test instrument identifies the level of cortisol based on the use of a 3D-printed support framework comprising an adsorbent spot and a porous laser-engraved graphene (PLEG) electrode. This high sensitivity and specificity is achieved by using thread microfluidics technology with molecularly imprinted polymers and it is able to get accurate readings in all complex saliva samples.
What is the Mechanism?
The mechanism is rather easy but scientifically advanced. When you floss the saliva is deposited on the sampling thread. And subsequently the microfluidic thread directs the sample through the sensing area, where a PLEG electrode, which is coated with cortisol-specific MIPS, measures the level of cortisol. An electrical signal is produced by the electrode that is proportional to the level of cortisol and this signal may be examined to decide the degree of stress.
Atul Sharma, Nafize Ishitaque Hossain, Ayanna Thomas and Sameer Sonkusale in Tufts University tested the device under several conditions. They may, as an example, have studied the influence of pH, the sample volume and necessary time in order to optimize performance. Calibration curves demonstrated that it reliably detected cortisol in phosphate-buffered Saline (PBS) and artificial saliva at the concentration of 1.0 to 12.5 ng/mL. Its reproducibility and stability was also found to be excellent and the device was found accurate after four weeks during which it was stored.
Why Cortisol Matters
Cortisol is a biomarker referred to as the stress hormone released by adrenal glands in reaction to stress. An abnormal cortisol value may express chronic stresses, anxiety, or other diseases. Conventionally, analysis of cortisol requires sampling of blood or saliva at a laboratory that may be time-consuming and inconvenient. The dental floss with the saliva-sensing process is non-invasive, on demand solution, and stress monitoring can be provided to all people.
The study group obtained the human specimen of saliva according to a protocol accepted by the Institutional Review Board created by Tufts University. It was collected at various points in time, including the baseline, pre-stress, and immediately after the stress as well as 20 minutes after stress in order to detect the variations in cortisol. The results which were corroborated through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confirmed that the device was accurate when used in real life situation.
The Innovation Science
The dental floss comes with two significant aspects of technology: the thread microfluidics and molecularly imprinted polymers. MIPs are man made substances that are made to pair up with any biological receptor, specifically attaching to cortisol molecules. This way you will make sure the device will detect cortisol without cross-reacting with other components of the saliva. Thread microfluidics however can capture samples and precisely transport them through the floss negating the use of cumbersome equipment.
An important component is the PLEG electrode synthesised through laser-cut graphene onto polyimide. Raman providing evidence of typical D, G and 2D peaks of graphene showed a very high-quality material with controlled defects towards better sensitivity. The performance of the electrode was also confirmed using cyclic voltammetry tests, which revealed stable results when sulfuric acid and potassium chloride solutions were used.
The Uses of Benefits of the Daily Use
This is a technology capable of revolutionizing our process of stress monitoring. Incorporating the measurement of cortisol into such a morning ritual as flossing, it gives people the possibility to monitor their stress levels on a daily basis with ease. The handheld nature and simplicity of the device allows its use at home, whereas the level of precision is similar to the approaches applied in laboratory conditions. Recovery studies were performed with impressive results, where cortisol recovery levels into spiked analytes of saliva demonstrated the reliability in recovery levels (98.98% to 102.04%).
In the case of medical workers, the tool might give stress-related diagnosing opportunities, which would allow treating conditions regarding chronic stress, like depression or heart problems, at an early stage. It can also be easily used more often because it is non-invasive; thus it is a viable option to conventional means of testing.
Future of stress monitoring
The dental floss using saliva as a sensor shows us a sneak of how personalized healthcare will be our future. Researchers are making both health monitoring less invasive and more accessible by integrating advanced materials science with more commonly used products. The invention has the potential of opening doors to other wearable or carry-along diagnostic technologies such as glucose sensors, infection sensors and so forth.
The technology is in its research stages but ever since its inception, its potential has not been underestimated. In the development of future applications, attention can be given to interconnection with smartphone apps to analyze data in real-time or the possibility of expanding the functionality of the device to detect additional biomarkers. With stress considered one of the health challenges in most parts of the world, such a tool may be essential in facilitating well-being.
Conclusion
The dental floss which is the saliva-sensing one developed at Tufts University is a brilliant combination of technology and utility. It could be used to monitor cortisol levels because it is convenient and non-invasive by transforming an ordinary oral hygiene gadget into a gadget that monitors stress. This innovation has great potentials of recreating the stress management paradigm given its high accuracy, portability and ease of use. Either you are just interested in your level of stress, or you want to proactively keep an eye on your health, this device is a big breakthrough in health technology.
References
Sharma, A., Hossain, N. I., Thomas, A., & Sonkusale, S. (2024). Saliva-Sensing Dental Floss: An Innovative Tool for Assessing Stress via On-Demand Salivary Cortisol Measurement with Molecularly Imprinted Polymer and Thread Microfluidics Integration. Supporting Information. Tufts University.