Periodontal disease detector

Abstract

To provide a compact periodontal disease detector capable of detecting a periodontal disease with high accuracy in a short time.SOLUTION: The periodontal disease detector includes a gas sensor 3 for detecting the concentration of the intra-oral sulfide contained in the exhalation, and a detection means 4 capable of detecting the periodontal disease based on the concentration of the intra-oral sulfide detected by the gas sensor 3, and the gas sensor 3 is an electrochemical sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a periodontal disease detector that detects periodontal disease from gas components contained in exhaled breath. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, it has become clear that periodontal disease affects the development of diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular disease, and the relationship between oral health and overall health has become clear, so there has been increasing attention being paid to caring for the oral environment.

[0003] It is known that oral sulfide gas is produced in the oral cavity when periodontal disease develops, and periodontal disease detectors have been developed that can detect the presence or absence of periodontal disease by detecting oral sulfide gas contained in exhaled breath.

[0004] For example, the periodontal disease diagnostic device shown in Patent Document 1 is equipped with four types of semiconductor gas sensors with different gas sensitivities, and these semiconductor gas sensors detect not only oral sulfides contained in the subject's breath but also various gas components including hydrogen, ammonia, etc., and by inputting into a neural network a feature value representing the characteristics of periodontal disease calculated based on the time-series detection values ​​of these gas components, a plaque index fuzzy value calculated based on plaque information regarding the subject's plaque that is input separately, and attribute values ​​regarding the subject's periodontal disease, the stage of progression of periodontal disease can be diagnosed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-17148 A (pages 4 to 5, Figure 2) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the periodontal disease diagnostic device of Patent Document 1 is a device used by dentists and others to diagnose periodontal disease in subjects, and is not intended for general use, and is also large. Furthermore, although one of the four types of semiconductor gas sensors uses a semiconductor gas sensor sensitive to oral sulfide, due to its characteristics, it also reacts to gas components such as low concentrations of hydrogen and ammonia in addition to oral sulfide, resulting in a problem of relatively low detection sensitivity for oral sulfide, which is closely related to periodontal disease. Therefore, the periodontal disease diagnostic device of Patent Document 1 needs to calculate feature values ​​representing the characteristics of periodontal disease based on the time-series detection values ​​of the four types of semiconductor gas sensors, and then input the feature values ​​together with a plaque index fuzzy value and attribute values ​​related to the subject's periodontal disease into a neural network to improve the accuracy of periodontal disease diagnosis, which results in a complex device configuration and calculation process.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of these problems, and has as its object to provide a small-sized periodontal disease detector that can detect periodontal disease with high accuracy and in a short time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the periodontal disease detector of the present invention comprises: a gas sensor for detecting the concentration of oral sulfides contained in exhaled breath; and a detection means capable of detecting periodontal disease based on the concentration of oral sulfide detected by the gas sensor, The gas sensor is characterized by being an electrochemical sensor. According to this feature, by using an electrochemical sensor as a gas sensor, the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity can be detected with high sensitivity by utilizing an oxidation-reduction reaction without being affected by water or other miscellaneous gases such as hydrogen and ammonia contained in exhaled breath, thereby providing a compact periodontal disease detector that can detect periodontal disease with high accuracy and in a short time.

[0009] The electrochemical sensor is characterized by being a constant potential electrolysis sensor. According to this feature, the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity is proportional to the current value detected by the constant-potential electrolysis sensor, so that the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity can be detected simply and with high sensitivity.

[0010] The gas sensor is characterized by comprising a cover that communicates with the inlet and the outlet and covers the gas introduction portion of the gas sensor. According to this feature, exhaled air is blown into a cover having a larger flow path cross section than the exhaust port through the inlet, thereby allowing a predetermined flow rate of exhaled air to be efficiently introduced into the gas sensor without being affected by atmospheric gas, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the gas sensor to detect intraoral sulfide concentrations.

[0011] The device is characterized by having a suction means for sucking the exhaled air blown through the blowing port. According to this feature, a constant amount of exhaled air sucked by the suction means can be introduced into the gas sensor, thereby improving the sensitivity of the gas sensor in detecting the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity.

[0012] The gas sensor is characterized by being disposed between the blowing port and the suction means. According to this feature, the exhaled air from the air inlet side is sucked in and sensed, so there is little variation in the amount of suction, i.e., the amount of exhaled air to be detected, and the detection sensitivity is high.

[0013] The oral sulfides to be detected are characterized by containing at least hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan. According to this feature, hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan are detected, making it easy to detect periodontal disease across a wide range of ages. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a periodontal disease detector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a periodontal disease detector in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 3]1 is a graph comparing the detection results of current values ​​detected with and without a cover for the gas sensor in Example 1. The detection method of the gas sensor in Example 1 is a natural diffusion method. [Figure 4] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a periodontal disease detector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a graph showing a current value detected by the gas sensor in Example 2. The gas sensor in Example 2 employs a suction detection method. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a periodontal disease detector according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A periodontal disease detector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the following examples. [Example]

[0016] A periodontal disease detector according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] 1 and 2, the periodontal disease detector 1 is mainly composed of a housing 2, a gas sensor 3 provided in the housing 2 for detecting the concentration of oral sulfides contained in exhaled breath, which is the detection target, and a sensor substrate 4 as detection means capable of detecting periodontal disease based on the concentration of oral sulfides detected by the gas sensor 3. For ease of explanation, in Fig. 2 and subsequent figures, the gas sensor 3 and sensor substrate 4 are shown in exaggerated size compared to their actual size.

[0018] The periodontal disease detector 1 in this embodiment is a handy type that can be used by a user with one hand, and uses a dry cell or storage battery (not shown) as a power source.

[0019] The housing 2 is made of a material such as resin and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. An air inlet 21 to which the mouthpiece 20 can be attached or detached is provided on one side of the housing 2. An exhaust port 22 is provided on the other side of the housing 2 at a position opposite the air inlet 21.

[0020] Furthermore, by attaching the mouthpiece 20 to the mouth inlet 21, atmospheric gas (outside air) is prevented from mixing with the exhaled air in the oral cavity that is blown into the housing 2 through the mouth inlet 21, and the flow rate of the exhaled air that is blown into the housing 2 through the mouth inlet 21 can be stabilized.

[0021] The housing 2 is also provided with a display unit 10. The display unit 10 is capable of displaying the progress of periodontal disease detected by the sensor board 4 as a detection result.

[0022] The gas sensor 3 is an electrochemical sensor that utilizes an oxidation-reduction reaction of an electrode. Specifically, the gas sensor 3 in this embodiment is a controlled-potential electrolysis sensor (H2S-MD-3000, manufactured by Maeno Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd.), which is classified as an electrochemical sensor. A controlled-potential electrolysis sensor electrolyzes a gas to be detected on an electrode maintained at a constant potential, and the current value generated by the oxidation-reduction reaction of the electrode is proportional to the gas concentration, thereby enabling highly sensitive detection of the gas concentration. Furthermore, by presetting the set potential of the gas sensor 3, it is possible to selectively detect a desired gas.

[0023] In this embodiment, the gases to be detected by the gas sensor 3 are hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, which are sulfides contained in the exhaled breath in the oral cavity.

[0024] In this embodiment, the gas sensor 3 is fitted with a cylindrical cover 5 made of a material such as resin. Specifically, the cover 5 is fitted onto the body case 30 of the gas sensor 3 so as to cover the gas inlet portion of the gas sensor 3. The shape of the cover 5 is not limited to a cylindrical shape with a bottom, as long as it can form an internal space together with the body case 30. From the viewpoint of enabling the gas sensor 3 to detect ultra-trace amounts of the target substance on the order of ppb, the cover 5 is preferably made of a material with low gas adsorption properties, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

[0025] 2, the inside of cover 5 is connected to blow inlet 21 and exhaust outlet 22 via flow paths 23 and 24 provided in housing 2, and exhaled air blown into blow inlet 21 through mouthpiece 20 passes through flow path 23, cover 5, and flow path 24 in that order within housing 2, before being exhausted entirely through exhaust outlet 22 (see black arrow). Note that the inside of cover 5 is configured to have a larger cross-section of the flow path than exhaust outlet 22.

[0026] The electrode pins of the gas sensor 3 are connected to the sensor substrate 4, and a current value (see FIG. 3) that is a detection signal of the concentration of oral sulfides is input from the gas sensor 3. The sensor substrate 4 is also capable of detecting the progression of periodontal disease based on the current value input from the gas sensor 3 and outputting the detection result.

[0027] Specifically, the sensor substrate 4 has a lookup table for checking the current value input from the gas sensor 3, i.e., the level of progression of periodontal disease corresponding to the concentration of oral sulfides, and is capable of outputting the corresponding level of progression of periodontal disease as a detection result. In this embodiment, the display unit 10 of the housing 2 displays the periodontal disease level, which indicates the level of progression of periodontal disease, as a number ranging from 0 to 5. The display unit 10 also displays the oral sulfide concentration as a number together with the periodontal disease level.

[0028] The periodontal disease detector 1 in this embodiment employs a so-called natural diffusion detection method in which exhaled air blown through the blowing port 21 is directly introduced into the gas sensor 3. The peak value in the response curve of the current value detected by the gas sensor 3, i.e., the graph curve of the current value shown in Fig. 3, corresponds to the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity.

[0029] Next, an example of the operation flow of the periodontal disease detector 1 in this embodiment will be described.

[0030] First, an initial check such as zero point correction is performed by turning on a power switch (not shown) of the periodontal disease detector 1.

[0031] Next, the user holds the mouthpiece 20 between their mouths and blows their exhaled breath into the mouthpiece for 3 to 5 seconds. In this embodiment, the cover 5 covering the gas sensor 3 is attached, so that almost all of the oral sulfides contained in the exhaled breath are introduced into the gas inlet of the gas sensor 3. Therefore, whether or not sufficient exhaled breath is being blown into the mouthpiece 20 through the mouthpiece 21 of the housing 2 is determined by the sensor substrate 4 detecting a change in the response output of the gas sensor 3. For example, if the response of the gas sensor 3 shows a predetermined output slope (differential value) and the output value continues for several seconds, it is determined that sufficient exhaled breath is being blown into the mouthpiece 21. This allows for easy, low-cost detection without the use of any additional components.

[0032] Next, when the sensor board 4 determines that a sufficient amount of exhaled air is being blown into the air inlet 21, the peak value of the current input from the gas sensor 3 is used to inquire about the progress of periodontal disease.

[0033] Finally, the sensor substrate 4 outputs the degree of progression of the periodontal disease as a detection result, and the display unit 10 displays the periodontal disease level indicating the degree of progression of the periodontal disease and the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity.

[0034] In addition, in the periodontal disease detector 1 of this embodiment, the time required from detecting the concentration of oral sulfides by the gas sensor 3 to detecting the progression of periodontal disease by the sensor substrate 4 is within 10 seconds, and the detection result is displayed on the display unit 10 within a short time of about 10 to 15 seconds after blowing in air.

[0035] Furthermore, in the operational flow of the periodontal disease detector 1 in this embodiment, a determination as to whether sufficient breath is being blown in from the inlet 21 is made based on a change in the response output of the gas sensor 3. However, this is not limited to this, and the determination as to whether sufficient breath is being blown in may also be made by, for example, detecting a temperature change using a temperature sensor, a humidity change using a humidity sensor, or a pressure change using a pressure sensor.

[0036] Furthermore, in the sensor substrate 4, a temperature sensor (not shown) may perform temperature correction to make the sensor sensitivity to the environmental temperature constant, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting the progression of periodontal disease.

[0037] As described above, the periodontal disease detector 1 of this embodiment comprises a gas sensor 3 that detects the concentration of oral sulfides contained in exhaled breath, and a sensor substrate 4 that can detect periodontal disease based on the concentration of oral sulfides detected by the gas sensor 3. By using an electrochemical sensor as the gas sensor 3, the detector can be made less susceptible to the influence of water and other miscellaneous gases such as hydrogen, ammonia, alcohol, and carbon monoxide contained in exhaled breath, and can detect the concentration of oral sulfides with high sensitivity, thereby providing a compact periodontal disease detector 1 that can detect periodontal disease with high accuracy.

[0038] Furthermore, since the gas sensor 3 detects the concentration of oral sulfides as a current value with high sensitivity, it is possible to detect the progression of periodontal disease on the sensor substrate 4 using only the concentration of oral sulfides detected by the gas sensor 3.This simplifies the configuration of the periodontal disease detector 1 and reduces the amount of calculation processing on the sensor substrate 4, allowing the progression of periodontal disease to be detected in a short time and with high accuracy.

[0039] Furthermore, because the gas sensor 3 of this embodiment is an electrochemical sensor, it is less susceptible to the effects of miscellaneous gases contained in the oral cavity, toxic substances floating in the air (such as silicon), and humidity than semiconductor gas sensors, and therefore has excellent long-term stability and requires less frequent maintenance (for example, by replacing the electrochemical sensor every year, it can be used as a gas sensor 3 that meets the required accuracy).

[0040] Furthermore, because the gas sensor 3 of this embodiment is an electrochemical sensor, it can detect the target oral sulfides by utilizing the oxidation-reduction reaction of the electrodes, and since there is no need to heat the detection part with a heater as in semiconductor gas sensors, it can be battery-powered, making it possible to provide a compact, handheld periodontal disease detector.

[0041] Furthermore, since the gas sensor 3 of this embodiment is an electrochemical sensor, it is less susceptible to the effects of miscellaneous gases and water as described above. Therefore, unlike semiconductor gas sensors, there is no need to consider the problem of miscellaneous gases, and the configuration can be simplified.

[0042] Furthermore, the gas sensor 3 of this embodiment uses a constant-potential electrolysis sensor, which is classified as an electrochemical sensor, and the current value is proportional to the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity, so the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity can be detected simply and with high sensitivity.

[0043] Furthermore, since the gas sensor 3 of this embodiment is a constant-potential electrolysis sensor, it is possible to detect only the oral sulfides to be detected with high sensitivity by changing the set potential, electrode material, and electrolyte solution.

[0044] Furthermore, the periodontal disease detector 1 of this embodiment is provided with a cover 5 that covers the gas sensor 3. By blowing exhaled air into the cover 5, which has a larger cross-section than the exhaust port 22, through the inlet 21, a predetermined flow rate of exhaled air can be efficiently introduced into the gas sensor 3, thereby improving the detection sensitivity of the concentration of oral sulfides in the gas sensor 3. This can be confirmed by comparing the graph of current values ​​with the cover (see solid line graph) and without the cover (see dashed line graph) for the same type of exhaled air, as shown in Fig. 3, where the peak value in the graph of current values ​​with the cover is large and the current value remains approximately constant and stable near the peak value immediately after exhaled air is blown in.

[0045] Furthermore, by attaching the cover 5 to the gas sensor 3, the gas introduction portion of the gas sensor 3 is no longer exposed to the atmospheric gas, and an internal space having a predetermined volume is formed between the main body case 30 of the gas sensor 3 and the cover 5, so that the atmospheric gas that has accumulated in the flow paths 23, 24 and the cover 5 is pushed out and exhausted from the exhaust port 22 as the breath is blown in. This eliminates the effect of the atmospheric gas on the gas sensor 3 and allows a predetermined flow rate of breath to be efficiently introduced from within the cover 5 to the gas sensor 3, thereby enabling the concentration of oral sulfides to be detected with high sensitivity.

[0046] Furthermore, by using the cover 5, an internal space having a predetermined volume can be easily formed between the main body case 30 of the gas sensor 3 and the cover 5.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mouthpiece 20 is attached to the air inlet 21 of the housing 2, so that the exhaled air in the oral cavity can be introduced uniformly into the gas sensor 3, thereby enabling the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity to be detected with higher sensitivity.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the oral sulfides to be detected by the gas sensor 3 are hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, making it easy to detect periodontal disease across a wide range of ages using the sensor substrate 4. It is generally known that hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan are generated in the oral cavity when periodontal disease develops, and methyl mercaptan in particular is often used as an indicator of periodontal disease. However, it has been found that in younger age groups, where the incidence of periodontal disease is low, the amount of methyl mercaptan generated is low even when periodontal disease develops. Therefore, in this embodiment, by detecting both hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan with the gas sensor 3, periodontal disease can be detected across a wide range of ages, from young people to the elderly.

[0049] Furthermore, the gas sensor 3 of this embodiment detects the total concentration of hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan as the detection target as a current value, eliminating the need to separate and detect hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan using a column or the like, thereby simplifying the configuration of the periodontal disease detector 1 and making it easier to detect periodontal disease across a wide range of ages. [Example]

[0050] Next, a periodontal disease detector according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4, the periodontal disease detector 201 of this embodiment 2 employs a so-called suction detection method in which a certain amount of exhaled air is introduced into the gas sensor 3 by sucking the exhaled air blown into the inlet 21 of the housing 2 using the suction means 206.

[0052] In detail, in this embodiment, a single flow path 223 is provided within the housing 2 extending from the inlet 21 to the outlet 22, and the exhaled air blown into the inlet 21 through the mouthpiece 20 passes through the flow path 223 and is exhausted in its entirety from the outlet 22 (see black arrow).

[0053] Near the blowing port 21 side of the flow path 223, a branch flow path 224 branches off, and a pressure sensor 207 is provided in the branch flow path 224. The flow path cross sections of the flow path 223 and the branch flow path 224 are configured to be approximately the same. This makes it easier for a portion of the exhaled air blown through the blowing port 21 to flow from the flow path 223 toward the branch flow path 224.

[0054] Further, near the blowing port 21 side of the flow path 223, a branch flow path 225 branches off from a position downstream of the branch flow path 224, and a cover 5 is connected to an end of the branch flow path 225. The flow path cross section of the branch flow path 225 is configured to be smaller than the flow path cross sections of the flow path 223 and the branch flow path 224. The end of the branch flow path 225 extends to near the center inside the flow path 223.

[0055] The cover 5 is also connected to the suction means 206 via a flow path 226. The suction means 206 is connected to the pressure sensor 207 described above via a signal line (not shown).

[0056] In this embodiment, the suction means 206 is configured to be able to suck a certain amount of exhaled air into the cover 5 from the flow path 223 via the branch flow path 225 by driving a solenoid (not shown) (see white arrow). The flow path cross sections of the branch flow path 225 and the flow path 226 are configured to be approximately the same.

[0057] Furthermore, it is preferable that the amount of exhaled air drawn from the flow path 223 by the suction means 206 is greater than the amount of atmospheric gas contained in the internal space formed between the main body case 30 of the gas sensor 3 and the cover 5. In this way, all of the atmospheric gas present in the cover 5 is drawn toward the suction means 206 via the flow path 226, and the inside of the cover 5 can be filled with the exhaled air drawn through the branch flow path 225 (see the white arrow). The atmospheric gas drawn from inside the cover 5 toward the suction means 206 via the flow path 226 is stored in an air barrel attached to a solenoid (not shown).

[0058] In this embodiment, the cover 5 is disposed between the air inlet 21 and the suction means 206. Specifically, the cover 5 is not directly connected to the flow path 223, but is connected via a branch flow path 225 that branches off perpendicularly to the flow path 223. This makes it easier to draw a certain amount of exhaled air from the flow path 223 into the cover 5 via the branch flow path 225, while reducing the influence of the flow of exhaled air passing through the flow path 223.

[0059] The periodontal disease detector 201 in this embodiment employs a suction detection method in which a certain amount of exhaled air is introduced into the gas sensor 3 by sucking the exhaled air blown into the blowing port 21 with the suction means 206. The response curve of the current value detected by the gas sensor 3, i.e., the integral value of the graph curve of the current value shown in Fig. 5, corresponds to the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, although the current value detected by the gas sensor 3 is extremely small, its detection accuracy is high. Therefore, by calibrating the oral sulfide concentration detected by the gas sensor 3 at a high concentration and inhaling a certain amount of exhaled air even at a low concentration, the apparent detection sensitivity of the oral sulfide concentration is increased.

[0061] Next, an example of the operation flow of the periodontal disease detector 201 in this embodiment will be described.

[0062] First, an initial check such as zero point correction is performed by turning on a power switch (not shown) of the periodontal disease detector 201 .

[0063] Next, the user holds the mouthpiece 20 between their mouths and blows breath into it for 3 to 5 seconds. In this embodiment, whether sufficient breath is being blown into the mouthpiece 20 from the blowing port 21 of the housing 2 is determined by detecting a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined value by the pressure sensor 207 provided in the branch flow path 224.

[0064] Next, when the pressure sensor 207 detects a pressure above a predetermined value and determines that sufficient exhaled air is being blown in from the blowing port 21, a solenoid (not shown) that constitutes the suction means 206 is activated, and a certain amount of exhaled air is sucked into the cover 5 from the flow path 223 via the branch flow path 225 (see white arrow).

[0065] Next, the sensor board 4 checks the progress of periodontal disease from the integral of the graph curve of the current value input from the gas sensor 3.

[0066] Finally, the sensor substrate 4 outputs the degree of progression of the periodontal disease as a detection result, and the display unit 10 displays the periodontal disease level indicating the degree of progression of the periodontal disease and the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity.

[0067] According to this, a constant amount of exhaled air sucked by the suction means 206 can be introduced into the gas sensor 3, and therefore the detection sensitivity of the gas sensor 3 for the concentration of oral sulfides can be improved.

[0068] Even if the concentration is low, the detection sensitivity of the oral sulfide concentration can be increased by drawing a certain amount of exhaled air into the cover 5 using the suction means 206. Furthermore, by calculating the oral sulfide concentration from the integral value of the response waveform of the current value detected by the gas sensor 3, the apparent detection sensitivity for ultra-trace amounts of the detection target on the order of ppb can be increased.

[0069] Furthermore, since the gas sensor 3 is positioned between the air inlet 21 and the suction means 206, it can suck in and sense the exhaled air on the air inlet 21 side, so there is little variation in the amount of suction, i.e., the amount of exhaled air to be detected, and the detection sensitivity is high.

[0070] Furthermore, the periodontal disease detector 201 of this embodiment employs a suction-type detection method, which allows a predetermined amount of exhaled air to be introduced into the gas sensor 3 to cause an oxidation-reduction reaction at the electrodes, and does not require continuous exhalation to introduce a predetermined flow rate of exhaled air into the gas sensor 3, as in the natural diffusion-type detection method described in the first embodiment, resulting in excellent reproducibility and stability in the detection of oral sulfide concentrations by the gas sensor 3. Furthermore, the employment of a suction-type detection method reduces the amount of gas exposed to the gas sensor 3 during detection, and the sensor is not open to the atmosphere, resulting in excellent durability.

[0071] The exhaled air sucked by the suction means 206 is pushed out from inside the cover 5 to the flow path 223 via the branch flow path 225 by the atmospheric gas pushed back through the flow path 226 in association with the return action of a solenoid (not shown), and is then exhausted from the exhaust port 22. That is, in this embodiment, the inside of the cover 5 is connected to the air inlet 21 and the exhaust port 22 of the housing 2 via the flow path 223 and the branch flow path 225.

[0072] Furthermore, the suction of exhaled air by the suction means 206 is not limited to one time, but may be repeated multiple times. [Example]

[0073] Next, a periodontal disease detector according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first and second embodiments will be omitted.

[0074] As shown in Figure 6, the periodontal disease detector 301 of this embodiment 3 employs a so-called suction detection method in which a certain amount of exhaled air is introduced into the gas sensor 3 by sucking in the exhaled air blown into the inlet 21 of the housing 2 using the suction means 306.

[0075] The periodontal disease detector 301 of this embodiment differs from the periodontal disease detector 201 of the second embodiment in that the gas sensor 3 is disposed between the suction means 306 and the exhaust port 22 .

[0076] In detail, in this embodiment, a single flow path 223 is provided within the housing 2 extending from the inlet 21 to the outlet 22, and the exhaled air blown into the inlet 21 through the mouthpiece 20 passes through the flow path 223 and is exhausted in its entirety from the outlet 22 (see black arrow).

[0077] Near the blowing port 21 side of the flow path 223, a branch flow path 325 branches off from a position downstream of the branch flow path 224 where the pressure sensor 207 is provided, and a suction means 306 is connected to the end of the branch flow path 325.

[0078] The cover 5 is connected to the suction means 306 via a flow path 326 that is different from the branch flow path 325. Furthermore, the cover 5 is connected to the flow path 223 near the exhaust port 22 side via a flow path 327.

[0079] In addition, the branch flow path 325 and the flow paths 326 and 327 are provided with check valves (not shown), and the exhaled air sucked from the flow path 223 by the suction means 306 passes through the branch flow path 325, flow path 326, cover 5, and flow path 327 in that order, and is then exhausted from the exhaust port 22.

[0080] Next, an example of the operation flow of the periodontal disease detector 301 in this embodiment will be described.

[0081] First, an initial check such as zero point correction is performed by turning on a power switch (not shown) of the periodontal disease detector 301 .

[0082] Next, the user holds the mouthpiece 20 between their mouths and blows breath into it for 3 to 5 seconds. In this embodiment, whether sufficient breath is being blown into the mouthpiece 20 through the blowing port 21 of the housing 2 is determined by detecting a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined value by the pressure sensor 207, as in the second embodiment.

[0083] Next, when the pressure sensor 207 detects a pressure above a predetermined value and determines that sufficient exhaled air is being blown in from the inlet 21, the solenoid (not shown) that constitutes the suction means 306 is activated, and a certain amount of exhaled air is sucked into an air barrel (not shown) attached to the solenoid from the flow path 223 via the branch flow path 325 (see white arrow).

[0084] Next, the exhaled air sucked by the suction means 306 is supplied from the air barrel into the cover 5 via the flow path 326 as the solenoid (not shown) returns (see the white arrow).

[0085] At this time, the atmospheric gas inside the cover 5 is pushed out into the flow path 223 via the flow path 327 by the exhaled air supplied into the cover 5, and is exhausted from the exhaust port 22 (see the white arrow). That is, in this embodiment, the inside of the cover 5 is connected to the air inlet 21 and the exhaust port 22 of the housing 2 via the flow path 223, the branch flow path 325, the suction means 306, and the flow paths 326 and 327, respectively.

[0086] Next, the sensor board 4 checks the progress of periodontal disease from the integral of the graph curve of the current value input from the gas sensor 3.

[0087] Finally, the sensor substrate 4 outputs the degree of progression of periodontal disease and the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity as the detection results, and the periodontal disease level indicating the degree of progression of periodontal disease and the concentration of sulfides in the oral cavity are displayed on the display unit 10.

[0088] According to this, a constant amount of exhaled air sucked by the suction means 306 can be introduced into the gas sensor 3, and therefore the detection sensitivity of the gas sensor 3 for the concentration of oral sulfides can be improved.

[0089] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0090] For example, in the above-described embodiments, the periodontal disease detectors 1, 201, 301 have been described as outputting the degree of progression of periodontal disease as the detection result, but this is not limiting, and the detector may output only the presence or absence of periodontal disease as the detection result. In this case, the sensor substrate as the detection means does not need to use a lookup table, and it is sufficient if the detector outputs a detection result such as "periodontal disease present" if the current value input from the gas sensor is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, or "periodontal disease absent" if the current value is equal to or less than the threshold.

[0091] In addition, in the above embodiment, a constant potential electrolysis sensor is used as the gas sensor 3, but this is not limiting, and other types of gas sensors may be used as long as they are electrochemical sensors, such as fuel cell sensors.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the gas sensor 3 is described as detecting both hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, but this is not limiting, and hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan may be separated using a column or the like and detected by the gas sensor. In this case, it is preferable to use two controlled potential electrolysis sensors whose set potentials are adjusted to detect hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the gases to be detected by the gas sensor 3 are described as hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, which are oral sulfides contained in exhaled breath. However, the gas sensor may detect either hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan, or may detect gas components other than hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan contained in exhaled breath.

[0094] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cover 5 is attached to the gas sensor 3, but this is not limiting. For example, the gas sensor may be inserted into the housing to form a recess that can form an internal space that is connected to the air inlet and exhaust outlet, and the recess may serve as a cover member.

[0095] Furthermore, when gas sensor 3 in Examples 1 to 3 was replaced with a semiconductor gas sensor and periodontal disease was detected in the same manner, periodontal disease detection was possible, but the accuracy was lower than the results obtained using an electrochemical sensor in Examples 1 to 3. This is presumably because the detected values ​​of the semiconductor gas sensor contained many gases other than hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, which reduced the correlation between the detected values ​​of the semiconductor gas sensor and the progression of periodontal disease. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1,201,301 Periodontal disease detector 2. Case 3 Gas Sensor 4. Sensor board (detection means) 5 Cover 10 Display unit 20 mouthpiece 21 Air inlet 22 Exhaust port 23,24 Flow path 30 Main unit case 206 Suction means 207 Pressure Sensor 306 Suction means

Claims

1. a gas sensor for detecting the concentration of oral sulfides contained in exhaled breath; and a detection means capable of detecting periodontal disease based on the concentration of oral sulfide detected by the gas sensor, The periodontal disease detector is characterized in that the gas sensor is an electrochemical sensor.

2. 2. The periodontal disease detector according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical sensor is a constant potential electrolysis sensor.

3. 2. The periodontal disease detector according to claim 1, further comprising a cover that communicates with the inlet and the outlet and covers a gas introduction portion of the gas sensor.

4. 2. The periodontal disease detector according to claim 1, further comprising a suction means for suctioning the exhaled air blown through an inlet.

5. 5. The periodontal disease detector according to claim 4, wherein the gas sensor is disposed between the blowing port and the suction means.

6. 6. The periodontal disease detector according to claim 1, wherein the oral sulfides to be detected include at least hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan.

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