Auto Drool
From: Technology Review - January 2005 - page 24

Antidepressant users, AIDS and Parkinsons-disease patients, and millions of
others are plagued with "dry mouth," an annoying dearth of saliva that
affects speech and sleep - and which can lead to serious infections. An
international research consortium headed by Dr. Andy Wolff and an electrical
engineer based in Ra'anana, Israel, has teamed up to develop a tooth-sized
implant that fights dry mouth by prodding underperforming salivary glands
into action. Implanted in place of a wisdom tooth, the device contains a
microprocessor, a wetness sensor, and electrodes that stimulate the nearby
lingual nerve, which controls saliva production. The patient can use a remote
control to fine-tune the amount of stimulation the nerve receives. The
researchers are now testing the prototype implant on volunteers in Italy,
Spain, and Germany and hope to have a version ready for market by the middle
of this year. 

Caption: An implant to wet your whistle.

Links:
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=6598
http://www.obmjournal.dk/pre_print_article_page.php?&manuscriptid=46
Dr. Andy Wolff <awolff@zahav.net.il>
