This dental floss can measure stress

Imagine this: you're flossing after dinner — same old routine — when the tiny string between your teeth does more than dislodge kale. It reads your stress levels.

That's exactly what a group of Tufts University researchers has made possible. In a quiet lab, through cross-campus teamwork, they've turned an everyday dental floss pick into a miniaturized stress detector. Professor Sameer Sonkusale, the lead engineer, puts it simply: "We didn't want measurement to create an additional source of stress... so we thought, can we make a sensing device that becomes part of your day-to-day routine?"

Turns out, they could.

How does it work?

Here's the magic behind the minty string:

• The floss looks normal but is lined with a microscopic sensor.
• When you floss, saliva gets pulled up the string and into the pick via capillary action (basically nature's way of wicking fluid).
• Inside, the saliva spreads over a sensor tab embedded with electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymers (eMIPs) — a mouthful, but incredibly smart tech.

Think of eMIPs like a memory foam mold for molecules. Scientists create a custom "cavity" that perfectly matches cortisol, the stress hormone. Once cortisol enters the floss and hits the sensor, it sticks — like a hand finding its old cast.

This isn't brand-new wizardry. eMIPs have been around since the '90s, but Sonkusale and his crew found a slick way to embed them in everyday objects like floss.

Why does it matter?

Here's the thing about stress: we all have it, but tracking it's another story.

• Traditional stress tests? Clunky, expensive, or subjective.
• Saliva sensors? Non-invasive, low-cost, and dead simple.

And cortisol isn't the only molecule on this floss's radar. The sensor tech could be customized to detect:

• Estrogen (for fertility tracking)
• Glucose (for diabetes monitoring)
• Tumor markers (for early hints of cancer)
• Cardiac indicators (to watch over your heart)

Sonkusale is convinced: "The eMIP approach is a game changer." It skips the usual R&D slog of engineering antibodies and lets researchers quickly create new sensors for any new disease marker they discover.

Oh — and it's accurate. As accurate as top-shelf lab sensors. The kicker? No medical training needed.

The context

This smart floss fits into a much bigger movement — miniaturizing diagnostics and baking them into our daily lives.

Sonkusale's team has already played in this space:

• Smart threads that monitor sweat
• Clothes that track motion
• Flexible electronics woven right into fabric

But this floss? It's personal. Accessible. Almost poetic in its simplicity.

Still, Sonkusale adds a dose of scientific caution: "For diagnostics, blood is still the gold standard." In other words, don't expect this to replace your doctor. But if you're already diagnosed and need ongoing monitoring? That's where this floss shines. It's the kind of tech that quietly nudges us toward better habits and timely health choices — without ever feeling like a chore.

The team's even cooking up a startup to bring this to market. Soon, checking in on your health could be as easy — and as forgettable — as your bedtime floss.