Devices and method for bruxism management

A dental appliance, comprising:

• a dielectric substrate, comprising:
• one or more electric areas comprising one or more integrated circuits and one or more electric lines;
• one or more ground areas comprising one or more ground pads;
• and
• one or more sensing areas comprising one or more sensing pads;
• wherein:
• the one or more electric areas, the one or more ground areas, and the one or more sensing areas are housed on the same dielectric substrate being in one piece and comprising a dielectric material;
• one or more sections of the dielectric substrate are bent;
• one of the one or more sensing areas faces one of the one or more ground areas;
• and
• said one sensing area facing said one ground area is separated by a layer comprising an elastic material, and forms a sensor.

A device assembly for reducing teeth clenching and/or grinding and/or preventing bruxism, the device assembly comprising:

• a sensing unit for detecting teeth clenching and/or grinding;
• a biofeedback unit;
• at least one auxiliary unit;
• and
• a signal processing means;
• wherein:
• said sensing unit, said biofeedback unit, said at least one auxiliary unit and said signal processing means are included in one device or in two or more devices;
• the at least one auxiliary unit is a sensor for measuring one or more sensor signals selected from respiratory airflow, snoring, blood oxygen saturation, pH, blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiographic activity, electroencephalographic activity, body temperature, body position, body movement, and eye movement;
• the signal processing means comprises a receiver means to detect one or more sensor signals, and/or one or more dental forces signals, a monitoring means to detect the variation of the intensity and/or the frequency of said sensor signals vs. time, and a transmitter means to generate an action signal in response to said one or more variations of one or more sensor signals and/or said dental forces signals;
• and
• the biofeedback unit is a responsive means in communication with the signal processing means and responding to the action signal and is selected from means providing vibrating signal, tactile signal, acoustic signal, electrical stimulation signal and/or optical signal.

A method for reducing teeth clenching and/or grinding and/or preventing bruxism, the method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining at least one sensor signal selected from respiratory airflow, snoring, blood oxygen saturation, pH, blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiographic activity, electroencephalographic activity, body temperature, body position, body movement, and eye movement measured by an auxiliary unit;
• processing at least one sensor signal and determining at least a variation of the intensity and/or the frequency of said signals versus time;
• and
• providing a stimulus selected from vibrating signal, tactile signal, acoustic signal, electrical stimulation signal and/or optical signal in response to the variation of the intensity and/or the frequency of said at least one sensor signal versus time.