Recording compliance of dental splint use in obstructive sleep apnoea patients by force and temperature modelling

Fibre-optic sensors are used to monitor the force and temperature of dental splints worn by patients suffering from sleep apnoea. Owing to the small s ire of the sensors, they can be easily embedded within the splint in a way that does not affect the effectiveness of the splint, and, at the same time , are able to indicate whether the splint has been properly worn by the pat ient. The overall dimensions of the sensor are approximately 0.375 mm thick ness, 1 cm length and 3 mm width. The force and temperature sensors are cal ibrated and found to have sensitivities of better than 0.5 N and 0.1 degree sC, respectively. Trials performed on patients show that the measurement of pressure and temperature is an effective way of monitoring the proper usag e of the dental splint by the patients.