A Microsensor Embedded Periodontal Probing Device for Periodontal Disease Assessment

Objectives: This study aimed to integrate a micro-scale temperature sensor on a portable periodontal probing device. With a periodontal probe platform, the device can be utilized to measure gingival temperature, thereby providing quantitative physiological information as an inflammation indicator for accurate periodontal disease diagnosis.
Methods: The periodontal probing system was developed by integration of a micro-scale temperature sensor on a periodontal probe. The temperature sensor was fabricated on a flexible thin-film substrate with platinum patterning using microfabrication. To analyze the temperature sensing capability of the device, we tested a correlation between the temperature change and the consequent resistance change of the sensor. The sensitivity in various environments of distilled water, phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4), and artificial saliva were also studied to evaluate reproducibility and reliability. To enhanced usability, the portable probing device included a Bluetooth communication system, which allowed for the transfer of the measured data to an external computer system for real-time data logging.
Results: The performance tests of our temperature sensor exhibited that the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) had a linear tendency with the average value of 3.86 ± 0.18 /°C in the range of 25 to 60 °C. The TCR variance of 18 temperature sensors was below 2%, and the tendency was well maintained in three different solutions. This suggests that our microfabricated temperature sensors are applicable for accurate temperature monitoring in various oral environments. Additionally, the data collected was successfully transferred to external devices within one second via a wireless communication system.
Conclusions: A micro-scale temperature sensor was successfully fabricated and integrated into a portable periodontal probing device. The device showed high sensitivity and reliability in temperature measurement under various circumstances for localized gingival temperature measurement. The developed probing device includes a wireless communication system that allows for the rapid data transfer and collection required in clinical settings.