快速檢測口腔疾病的可攜式口水機

Abstract

人體每日可分泌多達兩公升的唾液，其中雖有99.5%為水分，卻具有優異的穩定性，能耐多次冷凍與解凍處理。其餘0.5%則包含蛋白質、礦物質、酵素、細菌，甚至可供分析的人類 DNA 資訊，使唾液成為具高度潛力的非侵入性生物樣本，廣泛應用於疾病診斷與健康監測領域。本研究聚焦於蛀牙與牙周病之關鍵生物標記——人工唾液中的細菌量與細菌種類，並開發可攜式光譜裝置進行快速檢測。針對細菌總量的評估，參考市面常見之微生物計數法與OD600光密度法，提出以模擬太陽光譜之白光源進行直接照射，並以穿透光譜進行智能分析，建立快速而簡便的偵測模式。

此外，本系統亦引入「產物離子」作為輔助生物標記，特別針對口腔礦物質代謝相關的磷酸根與鈣離子進行偵測。由於磷酸鈣為牙齒的主要組成，其離子濃度變化可反映牙本質與再礦化狀況。因此，本技術透過化學呈色與比色法，使用磷酸鹽與鈣離子標準液混合特定染色劑後進行比色分析，再藉由白光光源下的光譜變化進行量化。

整體而言，本技術結合口腔細菌種類、口腔細菌濃度與口腔礦物離子雙重指標，提供一套快速、非侵入性、可攜式之人工唾液分析系統，具備早期口腔疾病偵測與日常健康管理應用潛力。

The human body produces up to two liters of saliva per day. While 99.5% of saliva consists of water, it exhibits excellent biochemical stability and can withstand multiple freeze-thaw cycles. The remaining 0.5% contains proteins, minerals, enzymes, bacteria, and even complete DNA profiles, making saliva a highly promising non-invasive biosample for disease diagnosis and health monitoring.This study focuses on the key salivary biomarkers related to dental caries and periodontal disease, specifically targeting bacterial quantity and species. To evaluate bacterial concentration, we reference conventional microbiological counting methods and the optical density (OD600) technique, and propose an alternative approach using a simulated full-spectrum white light source. This light directly illuminates saliva samples, enabling spectral analysis analogous to OD600 but more rapid and user-friendly.

In addition, the system incorporates “product ions” as auxiliary biomarkers, particularly phosphate and calcium ions, due to their direct involvement in dental mineralization processes. Given that hydroxyapatite—the primary component of teeth—is composed of calcium phosphate, fluctuations in these ion concentrations can reflect remineralization or demineralization activity. Using chemical chromogenic reactions and colorimetric analysis, standard solutions of calcium and phosphate are mixed with appropriate buffer-dye reagents prior to measurement. The resulting mixtures are exposed to white light, and their spectra are analyzed for ion quantification.Overall, this research presents a portable, non-invasive saliva detection system that integrates bacterial and mineral ion indicators, offering a fast and practical tool for early oral disease screening and routine health management.