Hydrogel-based radio frequency H2S sensor for in situ periodontitis monitoring and antibacterial treatment
Jingying Pan, Xin Li, Rujing Sun, Yi Xu, Zhenghan Shi, Chaobo Dai, Hao Wen, Ray P. S. Han, Qing Ye, Fenni Zhang, Qingjun Liu
Abstract
Periodontitis , a chronic disease , can result in irreversible tooth loss and diminished quality of life, highlighting the significance of timely periodontitis monitoring and treatment. Meanwhile, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) in saliva, produced by pathogenic bacteria of periodontitis, is an important marker for periodontitis monitoring. However, the easy volatility and chemical instability of the molecule pose challenges to oral H 2 S sensing. Here, we report a wearable hydrogel-based radio frequency (RF) sensor capable of in situ H 2 S detection and antibacterial treatment. The RF sensor comprises an agarose hydrogel containing conjugated silver nanoparticles-chlorhexidine (AG-AgNPs-CHL hydrogel) integrated with split-ring resonators . Adhered to a tooth, the hydrogel-based RF sensor enables wireless transmission of sensing signals to a mobile terminal and a concurrent release of the broad-spectrum antibacterial agent chlorhexidine without complex circuits. With the selective binding of the AgNPs to the sulfidion, the RF sensor demonstrates good sensitivity, a wide detection range (2–30 μM), and a low limit of detection (1.2 μM). Compared with standard H 2 S measurement, the wireless H 2 S sensor can distinguish periodontitis patients from healthy individuals in saliva sample tests. The hydrogel-based wearable sensor will benefit patients with periodontitis by detecting disease-related biomarkers for practical oral health management.