Influence of dental magnets on human brain activity: A quantitative EEG analysis

Abstract

The magnetic field is known to attenuate mental depression, but it is not clear on the effect of dental magnets on human brain activity. Therefore, this study was to determine the influence of magnetic field from intraoral magnets on the human brain activity by analyzing the changes in alpha waves.Materials and Methods: Twenty complete denture male patients aged between 50 and 60 years were included after their consent. The neodymium-iron-boron sintered magnet was incorporated into the existing mandibular denture bilaterally in canine region. The participants were subjected to electroencephalogram (EEG) and the output measured alpha waves at three phases: (i) without placement of magnets (WM0), (ii) 30 days post-magnet placement in the mandibular denture (WM), and (iii) after 6 months post-removal of magnets (WM6). The data obtained was skewed (non-parametric), and hence multivariate analysis using Friedman test, and bivariate analysis using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney test were done to assess the significant difference among the groups. Results: The comparison of alpha waves between different phases showed a significant difference in all the pairs (p < .05) except WM-WM6. Comparison of alpha waves between right and left hemisphere showed no statistically significant difference (p > .05). Conclusion:We concluded that dental magnets had an influential effect on the alpha waves in the brain on both the left and right hemispheres. The removal of dental magnets retained the changes in brain activity even after 6 months of removal, denoting the alternative therapy to management of mental depression.