Precise Early Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease via Microfluidic OECTs
Ruotong Mai1, Yixin Zhou2, Jinhao Zhou2
1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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Saliva-based point-of-care testing (POCT) is critical for the early diagnosis of periodontal disease. However, current wearable platforms, such as smart mouthguards, are predominantly limited to monitoring small metabolites (e.g., glucose) and cannot detect specific macromolecular proteins essential for disease characterization. To enable precise early diagnosis, we demonstrate a novel biosensor that integrates microfluidics with organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). Functionally, this integration enables the simultaneous, multiplexed detection of a complementary biomarker combination: interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8). In terms of performance, the device leverages the high transconductance of OECTs to ensure high precision even at trace levels, achieving exceptional sensitivity with distinct dynamic ranges tailored for early-stage detection (IL-6: 1-80 pg/mL; MMP-8: 10-500 ng/mL). Validating its diagnostic utility, the sensor showed precise quantification (R2 > 0.97) correlated with gold-standard laboratory measurements in a rat model. By delivering clinical-grade precision for complex biomacromolecules, this platform overcomes the limitations of existing wearables and offers a viable path for translating advanced bioelectronics into practical periodontal healthcare.
