Fabrication of rGO/PDMS Flexible Piezoresistive Sensors and Their Application in Oral Occlusal Force Detection

Oral pathologies may compromise bite force magnitude, necessitating technological advancements in quantitative detection. To address this measurement gap, this work develops a flexible piezoresistive sensor based on reduced graphene oxide/polydimethylsiloxane (rGO/PDMS) composite aerogels. The preparation integrates hydrothermal reduction synthesis of rGO aerogels with systematic PDMS mass fraction optimization (0–69.1%), achieving the physical bonding of two components. When the PDMS mass fraction reached 41.4%, the composite aerogel achieved a compressive strength of 7.90 MPa and a cell viability of 97.23 ± 4.21%. The sensor based on rGO/PDMS composite aerogel exhibited a response time of 88 ms, a recovery time of 117 ms, and exceptional cyclic stability, with a resistance time drift of 2.49% per hour over 1000 cycles. During dental model testing, it successfully detected varying occlusion peaks of the first molar and achieved real-time USB data transmission. This breakthrough enables precise quantification of occlusal forces through synergistic integration of advanced nanomaterials and digital sensing technologies, significantly advancing personalized dental diagnostics.