New Zealand – Fight obesity with a magnet that locks the jaw

The University of Otago, New Zealand, in collaboration with the United Kingdom, has developed a magnetic weight loss device that locks the jaw, allowing a maximum opening of the mouth of 2 mm. According to the team that developed it, the inability to eat solid foods will help combat the problem of the global obesity epidemic. A dentist can install this dental device, specifically “DentalSlim Diet Control”, defined on social networks as something very close to a torture device. Two capsules that, thanks to the force of the magnet, hold the upper and lower molars together, allowing for an opening of only 2 mm. Its efficacy was tested on seven obese New Zealand women who were implanted with the device for two weeks. During this time, they were put on a low-calorie liquid diet. The study, later published in the British Dental Journal, reported an average weight loss of 6.36 kg per person. However, participants said they felt uncomfortable and embarrassed on some occasions, and one admitted to cheating by consuming melted chocolate and soft drinks. One user wrote on the web: “I hope this is the first and last test because it is a tool of torture and you should be ashamed to promote it.” Others talk about “medieval-worthy” methods, and someone wonders what would happen if someone were accused of an illness and needed intubation, while there are also the most cynical comments comparing it to the modern “oral chastity belt.” The University of New Zealand attempted to explain the true applications of the device and thus respond to the accusations received: “We do not aim to provide a tool for rapid weight loss. Rather, the goal is to help obese people who need it. Surgery and it cannot be done without first losing weight.”