Sensing sounds through fake teeth

Dental implants, or artificial teeth, could be used in a hearing aid technology called bone conduction. Bone conduction hearing aids turn sound into vibrations in the bones of the skull. These vibrations stimulate the cochlea, an organ in the inner ear that helps process sound. Scientists at Tongji University in China conducted research on 38 people with hearing loss who also had a dental implant. They tested how well a range of sound tones traveled through the volunteers’ implants as well as their natural teeth and mastoid bones, which are in the head behind the ear. In most cases, the volunteers heard the sounds through their implants as well as, if not better than, their natural teeth or mastoid bones. Going forward, the team hopes to develop dental implants with…

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The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 133

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