Should the dentist be a trained psychologist to understand the mental state of his patient during treatment, or let the latter gives him the signs? In the Center exact of dentistry at Columbia University decided to transfer this function to the equipment, specifically the new “smart” chair, which and analyze the stress level of the patient. The prototype will begin testing in the near future.
Today visitors to the centre are issued bracelets with RFID tags, which are tracked all the movements and manipulations of the patient during treatment. How many times left to use the bathroom, how long were arranged in a chair, what kind of tools the doctor had to use other more often, how many seconds it took the typical procedures, etc. Array of data that will help to make an individual profile of the patient and to choose the best treatment option.
After a few months there will begin work new tool, chair with heart rate monitors and sensors of oxygen levels in the blood. They will help accurately detect when the patient begins to worry, to distinguish weak from strong stress and to counter that with the actions of the doctor. No need to be shaking hands and gutturally howling in pain, signal the dentist will come automatically. And in the future there will be a camera with the function of recognizing emotions, for more precise analysis of the situation.
And this is only the beginning – a visit to the dentist is always stressful, but the measurement of its magnitude will give the doctors information about the General condition of the patient, potential neuroses and problems with other organs. Today an experienced dentist as the teeth of a person can give advice to get tested for diabetes or cancer. But if giving him a set of “smart tools”, a visit to the dental office will give a qualitatively different result.
Source — The Outline