New publications
Dental chair will be endowed with the ability to "feel" the patient
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
It is unlikely that there is a person among you who would gladly agree to go to the dentist. Sometimes even the most desperate "extremists" tremble before entering the office. And it does not matter that the doctor will perform relatively painless manipulations: the very fact of visiting the dentist can already cause a state of internal panic. As doctors themselves say, it is much easier to fight the feeling of pain than the state of fear. However, recently, specialists have presented a unique "smart" chair for the dental office: it has an interesting property of sensing the patient's fear. In addition to everything, this chair will help patients not to feel fear of dentists, and will even contribute to improving health in general.
The invention was presented by the staff of the Columbia University Dental Center. They initiated an experiment: all patients of the university dental clinic will be given special bracelets with built-in RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. Such a bracelet uses specific markers that automatically identify the subject. The device will record such moments: for what time and in what way manipulation instruments were used, in what position the patient was, etc. Additionally, the indicators will be monitored by the dental chair. The list of its basic functions will include: counting the pulse, assessing the degree of lung filling, determining the level of stress load and general tension.
What is the "trick" of the new method, and how will it help the patient forget about his fears? The indicators that will be taken from all installed sensors will be immediately sent to the doctor. By analyzing the information received, he will be able to prevent fear in advance, changing his tactics during the procedures, suspending manipulations, distracting and calming the patient. In addition, the doctor will be given a separate display of stress and pain load indicators, which will also be useful for improving the possibilities of therapy. However, these are not all the "pluses" of the new chair. Scientists want to use it for preventive purposes.
"The information collected from the sensors will help doctors not only to provide high-quality dental treatment, but also to assess the overall health of a person. It may be possible to determine addictions, the initial stages of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even oncopathologies. We have noticed that people visit the dentist's office more often than any other doctor in the clinic. Therefore, why not equip the chair with some diagnostic functions - for example, teach it to determine the level of glucose in the blood, blood pressure indicators, etc.," the experts explain their idea.
The information was published in the Popular Mechanics magazine.