SBIR Phase II: Developing a Continuous, Wireless, Intra-Oral Salivary pH Sensor

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to manage the risk of tooth decay, or caries disease, the world’s most prevalent chronic condition. Tooth decay results in severe pain, devastating financial issues, lost work, loss of confidence, embarrassment from appearance and speech, and broad systemic health problems. It disproportionately affects minorities and lower-income individuals. Controlling acid levels of high-risk patients is an effective decay prevention strategy. An oral acidity monitor for caries prevention will allow patients at high risk of caries disease to receive alerts to neutralize intraoral acidity before it causes permanent damage, and work more effectively with their dentists to follow and evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed caries prevention protocols. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project focuses on the commercialization of the world’s first continuous intraoral acidity monitor. This project advances sensors providing long-term data readings of salivary pH and its response to environmental conditions. As a platform technology, intraoral sensors have more applications in a broad range of markets in addition to dental caries; future sensors include sodium and potassium monitors for heart disease, hypertension, and renal failure, and glucose monitors for diabetes. Long-term plans include biologic sensing such as allergen, viral load, and drug compliance monitors.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.