Goodbye solid foods – This particular dental appliance can be installed directly by the dentist. Two capsules that, thanks to the strength of a magnet, hold the upper and lower molars together, allowing a minimum opening of the mouth. DentalSlim Diet Control, this is the name, “is an intraoral solution that limits a person to a liquid diet”, reads the Twitter profile of the University of Otago. In fact, it prevents you from ingesting any type of solid food.
I study – To test its effectiveness, seven obese New Zealand women were implanted with the device for two weeks. During this time, they were put on a low calorie liquid diet. The study, published in the British Dental Journal, reported an average weight loss of 6.36 kg per person. However, the participants stated that they felt uncomfortable and on some occasions embarrassed. One of them admitted to having cheated by consuming melted chocolate and fizzy drinks.
Social media attack him: “Instrument of torture” – Despite the enthusiasm shown by the research team, the tool has garnered a lot of criticism on social networks. “I hope this is the first and last test – writes a user – it is an instrument of torture and you should be ashamed to promote it”. Others, speaking of methods “worthy of the Middle Ages”, someone wonders what would happen if a person accuses an illness and needs to be intubated, while the more ironic comments compare it to a modern “oral chastity belt”.
The research team’s explanation – To respond to the accusations received, the University tried to clarify the real applications of the device: “Our intention is not to offer a tool for rapid weight loss. Rather, the aim is to help obese people who they need to have surgery and they can’t do it without losing weight first. ”