Wireless intraoral sensor for the physiological monitoring of tongue pressure

The tongue has continuously contact with the hard palate during articulation of a syllable or during swallowing. Patients who have had a cerebrovascular accident or other neurological disorders may present language disorders and lack of tongue coordination. In this work, a proposed device with the aim to provide a non-invasive aid to rehabilitation and care of people with language or swallowing disorders is described. The proposed device is designed with the purpose to measure continuously the tongue pressure on the palate and transmit wirelessly the data. The device is minimally invasive, because no cable connects the measuring system placed in the mouth and the readout unit placed outside. A first prototype has been developed and preliminary tests were performed using an experimental setup designed ad hoc. Preliminary experimental results obtained using a testing machine show a wide measurement range of the fabricated pressure sensor, up to 80 kPa. Fields of use of this device are the treatment of people with language or swallowing disorders.