JP2023098332A - bruxism reduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a bruxism reduction device which can reduce bruxism during sleep with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A bruxism reduction device for sleep comprises: a myoelectric potential sensor which is installed in the masseter of a user and is made of a single electrode; an EMS electrode which is installed in an antagonistic muscle group of the anterior belly of the digastric muscle or the periphery of the digastric muscle of the user and is made of the single electrode; and a device body which detects an EMG signal of the masseter from the myoelectric potential sensor in the time of sleep, outputs a weak EMS drive signal to the antagonistic muscle group of the anterior belly of the digastric muscle or the periphery of the digastric muscle being the antagonistic muscle of the user when the detection result is equal to or greater than a threshold. The device body (1) comprises: a power supply switch (2); a small-sized secondary battery (27); a USB charging terminal (3) which performs charging to the secondary battery (27) from the outside; and an attachment member (8) for neck mounting to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a bruxism reduction device, and more particularly to a bruxism reduction device suitable for reducing bruxism during sleep by detecting myoelectric potentials of masticatory muscles and feedback-controlling EMS electrical stimulation signals.

Bruxism is the habit of unconsciously clenching, clenching, or clenching your upper and lower teeth apart from eating and talking. Bruxism can be divided into three categories: grinding, clenching, and tapping. Grinding is the so-called bruxism of the teeth, which is the habit of rubbing one's teeth strongly with a last-minute sound. likely to occur. Clenching is the habit of clenching the upper and lower teeth. Tapping is the habit of rapidly clenching the upper and lower teeth in rapid succession.

Such bruxism itself is a physiological reaction, but when strong bruxism becomes habitual due to prolonged stress, it may cause tooth and jaw problems, stiff shoulders, and headaches. Specific symptoms caused by bruxism include effects on teeth such as tooth wear, fracture, wedge-shaped defects, and tooth sensitivity (hypersensitivity). In addition, there are effects on the periodontal tissue such as deterioration of periodontal disease, tooth movement, and gingival recession, and effects on the temporomandibular joints such as temporomandibular disorders, as well as systemic effects such as stiff shoulders and headaches. sell.

Such bruxism is known to occur due to excessive bite force of masticatory muscles (temporal muscles and masseter muscles). In general oral implants, the structure that connects the implant embedded in the jawbone and the artificial tooth consists of an abutment screw that fixes to the implant and a screw that fixes the artificial tooth. Since a stress of 100 to 300 Kg is applied when bruxism occurs during sleep, the screw may be damaged if bruxism occurs continuously during sleep.

Treatments for bruxism may include receiving guidance in daily life to reduce strain on the jaw and neck, adjusting the bite, wearing a mouthpiece, and using drugs to relieve muscle tension. In addition, a bruxism reduction device that detects myoelectric potential of the temporal muscle (temple) and feeds back a weak electrical stimulation signal to directly relax the temporal muscle (temple area) and reduce bruxism during sleep has also been released. .

As an example of this bruxism reduction device, the Sunstar Group measures teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism) during sleep and directly relaxes the temporal muscle (temple area) by generating a weak electrical stimulus when bruxism is detected. “Butler Grind Care (registered trademark)”, a device that reduces these, is on sale for dental clinics.

The above Butler Grind Care (registered trademark) uses a dedicated gel pad (conductive gel sheet) for wearing, and if used for a certain period of time, the adhesiveness to the skin will decrease, so it must be replaced, which is a consumable item. Cost is also higher.

As a bruxism reduction device as described above, related patent documents include, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-521844 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Patent No. 4809212 (Patent Document 2), Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-526051 ( Patent document 3) etc. are mentioned.

On the other hand, as a device that is worn in the oral cavity to reduce bruxism, there is an example of a mouthpiece that is used for the purpose of protecting teeth from bruxism during sleep. The effect of bruxism is improved by holding the mouthpiece in one's mouth before going to bed (Patent Document 4).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-521844 Japanese Patent No. 4809212 (registered patent corresponding to Patent Document 1) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-526051 JP-A-2-74274

Nos. 4,500,000 and 5,000,002 disclose a feedback control loop bruxism reduction device, which includes means for providing signals (EMG and/or EEG signals) representative of the user's muscle activity and for detecting bruxism and providing criteria for bruxism detection. means for processing said signal to establish and means for providing a feedback signal, said apparatus being operable in a set mode in which said user's normal muscle activity and parenchyma Typically maximal muscle activity is measured, recorded, and processed to calculate a muscle activity threshold for outputting a feedback signal that is greater than the normally occurring muscle activity and substantially less than the maximal muscle activity. wherein criteria for feedback to the user are defined to suit the individual of the user, and the device is operable in a mode of use in which muscle activity of the user is measured and processed; and comprising a device for monitoring muscle activity related to bruxism of a user such that a feedback signal is issued when the measured muscle activity value exceeds the threshold value calculated in said setting mode. In Patent Literatures 1 and 2, bruxism is reduced by directly relaxing the masseter muscle and the temporalis muscle.

The bruxism reduction devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2 measure and record EMG signals of masticatory muscles and EEG signals of electroencephalograms, and monitor muscle activity related to bruxism of the user. However, there was a problem that the system cost was high due to the complicated system configuration.

The biofeedback sensor disclosed in Document 3 uses a disposable adhesive substrate including a removable protective sheet (conductive sheet), and has a problem of high maintenance costs.

Document 4 above has a problem that it costs a lot to manufacture a mouthpiece for each individual. It is also conceivable to use ready-made products.

An object of the present invention is to provide a bruxism reduction device capable of reducing bruxism during sleep with a simple configuration in order to solve the above-described problems.

In order to achieve the above object, the bruxism reduction device of the present invention has the following configuration.
A device for reducing bruxism during sleep, comprising a myoelectric potential sensor consisting of a single electrode placed on the masseter muscle of the user and a single electrode placed on the antagonistic muscle group around the anterior double gastrocnemius muscle or the double bilateral muscle of the user. An EMS electrode consisting of an electrode and an EMG signal of the masseter muscle from the myoelectric potential sensor during sleep are detected. and a device main body that outputs a weak EMS drive signal to antagonistic muscle groups around muscles and applies electrical stimulation to the EMS electrodes, wherein the device main body includes a power switch, a small secondary battery, and the secondary. A bruxism reduction device (corresponding to claim 1) comprising a USB charging terminal for externally charging a battery and a mounting member for wearing on the user's neck.

In addition to the above configuration, the myoelectric potential sensor and the EMS electrode are installed by attaching a medical paper tape (corresponding to claim 2).

In addition to the above configuration, the mounting member has two ends, one end and the other end of which are magnetically connected collar-shaped members (corresponding to claim 3).

In addition to the above configuration, the attachment member is an elastic accordion-like string (corresponding to claim 4).

In addition to the above configuration, the USB charging terminal is of type C (corresponding to claim 5).

In addition to the above configuration, the device main body is fixed below the neck (corresponding to claim 6).

In addition to the above configuration, the bruxism reduction device automatically turns off after being used for a predetermined period of time (corresponding to claim 7).

In addition to the configuration, the predetermined time is about 8 hours to 10 hours (corresponding to claim 8).

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a bruxism reduction device capable of reducing bruxism during sleep with a simple configuration.

The drawings show specific embodiments of the present invention according to the present disclosure and include not only essential features of the invention, but also optional and preferred embodiments.
1 is a configuration diagram of a bruxism reduction device according to the present embodiment; FIG. The figure which shows the state which mounted|worn the neck with the bruxism reduction apparatus of this embodiment. The figure which shows the state which mounted|worn the neck with the bruxism reduction apparatus of this embodiment, and stuck the electrode with the paper tape. The figure which shows the state which mounted|worn the neck with the bruxism reduction apparatus of this embodiment, and stuck the electrode with the paper tape. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the neck attachment member of the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment is configured with a stretchable bellows. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the installation positions of a myoelectric potential sensor and an EMS electrode of the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the bruxism reduction operation of the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a charging conversion adapter and a connecting USB cable in the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the charging operation of the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is an operation flow diagram of the bruxism reduction device of the present embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the string adjustment part of the bruxism reduction apparatus of this embodiment. The figure which shows the sleep pattern of several healthy persons.

The details of the bruxism reduction device according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition to the essential requirements of the present invention, the following embodiments also include requirements that can be selectively adopted and requirements that can be combined as appropriate.

<Embodiment>
This embodiment is a device for reducing bruxism during sleep, and includes a myoelectric potential sensor consisting of a single electrode placed on the masseter muscle of the user and an EMS electrode consisting of a single electrode placed on the anterior abdomen of the digastric muscle of the user. Then, the EMG signal of the masseter muscle from the myoelectric potential sensor during sleep is detected, and when the detection result is equal to or higher than the threshold, a weak EMS drive signal is sent to the anterior abdomen of the digastric muscle, which is the antagonistic muscle of the user, for several seconds. (for example, 1 second or 2 seconds) and the device main body for applying electrical stimulation to the EMS electrodes, wherein the device main body includes a power switch, a small secondary battery, and an external power supply to the secondary battery. It comprises a USB charging terminal for charging and an attachment member for wearing on the user's neck.
With this structure, during sleep, at the moment when a sustained myoelectric potential appears in the masseter muscle, the antagonist muscle (anterior belly of the digastric muscle) is stimulated, causing the antagonistic muscle (anterior belly of the digastric muscle) to contract and ) acts in the opening direction, so that bruxism can be reduced.

<Configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the bruxism reduction device of this embodiment includes a bruxism reduction device body 1, a power switch 2, a USB charging terminal 3, a charging indicator 4, and a signal line (signal cable) 5. , an EMS electrode 6 , a myoelectric potential sensor 7 , an attachment member 8 , and a connection member 9 .

<Description of configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the user separates the connecting member 9 of the mounting member 8 attached to the bruxism reduction device main body 1 into a connecting member 9a and a connecting member 9b, and attaches the connecting member 8 to the neck for use. . This state of use is shown in FIG. The example of FIG. 2 shows a state in which the user 10 wears the bruxism reduction device main body 1 around the neck with the attachment member 8 and lies on the bed 16 when going to bed (during sleep). The myoelectric potential sensor 7 is placed on the masseter muscle 14 of the user as shown in FIG. electrodes). In this embodiment, the myoelectric potential sensor 7 and the EMS electrode 6 are provided in the masseter muscle and the anterior belly of the digastric muscle on one side of the user's face. This is because the simpler the device, the better the usability of the device and the lower the cost.

FIG. 7 shows a conceptual diagram of the principle of this bruxism reduction device. In the wearing state as described above, the main body 1 of the bruxism reduction device receives an EMG signal from the myogenic potential sensor 7 during sleep, and when it detects that a continuous potential appears in the masseter muscle, the EMS electrode 6 Outputs an EMS drive signal. The EMS electrode 6 receives the EMS drive signal and applies a weak muscle stimulation to the anterior digastric muscle 12, which is an antagonistic muscle, so as not to disturb the user's sleep (at bedtime). Then, the anterior digastric muscle 12 to which the muscle stimulation is applied contracts, pulling the mylohyoid muscle 13 above the hyoid bone 15 to try to open the jaw (mouth). 3, 4, and 5 show the installation method (fixing method) of each part of the apparatus for reducing bruxism during sleep. The example of FIG. 3 shows an example in which the myoelectric potential sensor 7 and the EMS electrode 6 are cut from the medical paper tape 11 to a predetermined length and are adhesively fixed at each installation position. Medical paper tape is cheap, so consumables are cheaper than using a dedicated gel pad, so maintenance costs are low. In the examples of FIGS. 1 and 6, a string-shaped attachment member 8 is used, but a choker that fits snugly around the neck may also be used. In the example of FIG. 4, the main body 1 of the bruxism reduction device is glued and fixed around the center of the neck with a medical paper tape 11. In FIG. The example of FIG. 5 shows a modified example in which the mounting member 8a for neck attachment is a stretchable accordion-like string. Other configurations may be employed as long as the attachment method does not come off even if the user rolls over during sleep. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the attachment portion 8 of FIG. 1 is provided with the string adjusting portions (17, 18).

Here, the EMS electrodes are placed on the anterior belly of the digastric muscle, which is an antagonistic muscle, but they may be placed on the antagonistic muscle group around the double jaw muscle. That is, the EMS electrode 6 may be attached (pasted) with the medical paper tape 11 to the antagonistic muscle group around the double jaw muscle. The antagonist muscle group around the double jaw muscle is the suprahyoid muscle group including the double jaw muscle.
As a result, bruxism during sleep of the user can be reduced.

The power switch 2 can be turned on or off by pressing a button.
be.

The USB charging terminal 3 is type C compatible with power delivery, and can use a plurality of voltages.

The charge indicator 4 blinks the LED lamp while the rechargeable battery 27 (small secondary battery) is being charged, and turns off the LED lamp when the charging is completed. The display form of the LED lamp may be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be displayed blinking during charging, and continuously displayed when charging is completed. As shown in FIG. 9, charging is performed by connecting a USB type C connector 32, which is one end of a USB cable 31, to a USB charging terminal (for example, USB type C) provided on the side of the bruxism reduction device main body 1, and charging the USB cable. 31 is connected to the USB power conversion adapter 29 . Use pre-charged devices when sleeping.

The signal line (signal cable) 5 is realized by one cable, but the EMS electrode 6 and the myopotential sensor 7 are directly connected to the apparatus main body 1 separately inside. Simplified wiring.

The USB power conversion adapter 29 has a shape as shown in FIG. 9, converts the AC voltage of the AC power source into a DC voltage such as 5V voltage, and supplies power to the rechargeable battery.

One end of the USB cable 31 has a 24-pin USB type C connector 32 and the other end has a normal USB connector 3 .

The charging operation of the bruxism reducing device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

<Charging operation of the bruxism reduction device>
First, connect the USB type C connector 32 at one end of the USB cable 31 to the USB type C connector charging terminal 3 (see FIGS. 1 to 6) of the bruxism reduction device main body 1, and connect the USB connector 30 at the other end to the USB power conversion adapter. 29 and inserting the USB power conversion adapter 29 into a commercial power outlet (not shown) (step 101), charging starts (step 102). During charging, the LED lamp of the charge indicator 9 blinks. When the charging is completed, the charging indicator 7 is turned off or lit constantly to notify the user of the completion of charging and confirm the completion (step 103). As a result, charging is completed, and the bruxism reduction device main body 1 can be used.

The operation of the bruxism reduction device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

<Operation of the main body of the bruxism reduction device>
When using the main body of the bruxism reduction device, a charged bruxism reduction device should be prepared in advance. If the battery is insufficiently charged, the battery is used after the charging operation as shown in FIG. 10 is performed.

First, as shown in FIG. 11, when the user turns on the power of the apparatus main body 1 (step 111), myoelectric potential (EMG) signals are detected from the myoelectric potential sensor (step 112). When the myoelectric potential (EMG) signal is equal to or higher than the threshold (continuously constant output), an EMS drive signal is generated (step 113) and a pulse signal is output to the EMS electrode 6. FIG. Further, when the myoelectric potential (EMG) signal is equal to or less than the threshold, the detection of step 112 is repeated. The pulse signal as the EMS driving signal is applied for several seconds. For example, it is performed for about 1 to 2 seconds. This is because it is considered that stimulation for several seconds does not interfere with the sleep state of the user.
The operations of steps 112 and 113 are performed for a predetermined time. For example, it is about 8 hours to 10 hours. FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C show sleep elapsed times (patterns) of a plurality of healthy subjects in one night. According to FIGS. 13(a), 13(b) and 13(c), the sleep time is about 6 hours to over 7 hours. Also, there is data that even long sleepers take about 10 hours of sleep. Considering these times, the operation is performed for 8 to 10 hours. Figure 13 (a) (b) (c) is the Open University teaching material "3rd Edition Sleep and Health ('21)" published in March 2021, edited by Soichiro Miyazaki and Mitsuo Hayashi, pp. 49-51 (Dement & Kleitman 1957). Sleep bruxism is known to occur mostly during REM or light non-REM sleep (sleep stages 1 and 2). Therefore, bruxism during sleep that occurs at this timing can be reduced.
After operating for a predetermined period of time (approximately 8 to 10 hours), the main body of the apparatus automatically turns off (step 115).

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the bruxism reduction device of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the bruxism reduction device main body 1 includes an operation unit 21, a control unit 22, a notification unit 23, a power supply unit 24, a pulse generation unit 25, a charging terminal 26, and a rechargeable battery 27 ( small secondary battery) and a charging control unit 28 . This bruxism reduction device comprises a bruxism reduction device main body 1 , an EMS electrode 6 and a myoelectric potential sensor 7 . The AC adapter 29 is used for charging.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a bruxism reduction device capable of reducing bruxism with a simple configuration.

1 Bruxism reduction device body 2 Power switch 3 USB charging terminal 4 Charging indicator 5 Signal line (signal cable)
6 EMS electrode 7 Myoelectric potential sensor 8 Mounting member 9 Connecting member 10 User 12 Digastric anterior abdomen 13 Mylohyoid muscle 14 Masseter muscle 15 Hyoid bone

Claims (8)

A device for reducing bruxism during sleep,
a myoelectric potential sensor consisting of a single electrode installed in the user's masseter muscle;
an EMS electrode consisting of a single electrode to be installed on the anterior abdomen of the digastric muscle of the user or on the antagonistic muscle group around the biphasic muscle;
The EMG signal of the masseter muscle from the myoelectric potential sensor during sleep is detected, and when the detection result is equal to or higher than the threshold value, it is sent to the antagonistic muscle group around the anterior belly of the digastric muscle or the biphasic muscle, which is the antagonistic muscle of the user. a device main body that outputs a weak EMS drive signal and applies electrical stimulation to the EMS electrodes;
The device main body is
a power switch;
a small secondary battery,
a USB charging terminal for externally charging the secondary battery;
an attachment member for wearing on the neck of a user;
A bruxism reduction device comprising: 2. The bruxism reducing device according to claim 1, wherein the myoelectric potential sensor and the EMS electrode are installed by sticking a medical paper tape. 3. A bruxism reduction device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said mounting member has two ends, one end and the other end being a magnetically connected collar type member. The bruxism reducing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the attachment member is a stretchable bellows-shaped string. The bruxism reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the USB charging terminal is of type C. The bruxism reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the device main body is fixed below the neck. The bruxism reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bruxism reduction device automatically turns off after being used for a predetermined period of time. 8. A bruxism reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the predetermined time period is approximately 8 to 10 hours.

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