Controversial Weight-Loss Device Magnets Jaws Shut To Restrict Food Consumption

Researchers have developed a weight-loss device that essentially magnets people's jaws shut, and they're getting quite a bit of backlash for it.

Called the DentalSlim Diet Control, the device was developed by U.K. and the University of Otago researchers to "help fight the global obesity epidemic," the university said in a news release Monday. It's an "intra-oral" magnetic device that's fitted by a dental professional to the upper and lower back teeth so that the person wearing it would only be able to open their mouths to 2 millimeters.

The idea is that by limiting how largely people can open their mouths, they will be restricted to a liquid diet and therefore lose weight. It restricts neither breathing nor speech, and those who participated in a trial lost an average of 6.36 kg in just two weeks, the University of Otago noted. That's about 5.1% of their body weight, the researchers wrote in the study published in the British Dental Journal, adding that the participants were "happy with the outcome."

According to Professor Paul Brunton, lead researcher, it's an "effective, safe and affordable" tool that can be used by people who are fighting with obesity.

"The main barrier for people for successful weight loss is compliance and this helps them establish new habits, allowing them to comply with a low-calorie diet for a period of time. It really kick-starts the process," Brunton said in the university news release. "It is a non-invasive, reversible, economical and attractive alternative to surgical procedures. The fact is, there are no adverse consequences with this device."

Quite unlike the practice of wiring people's jaws shut, which became popular in the 1980s and came with certain risks, DentalSlim Diet Control can be removed after just a few weeks. Users are also given a tool so they can open the contraption in case of an emergency.

The idea for the device is quite plain and simple. But it naturally received backlash within hours of being announced on Twitter, with some going as far as calling it "disturbing," "evil" and "hateful."

"A world-first and world-last, I sincerely hope. This is a torture device and you should be embarrassed to be promoting it, let alone to be associated with it," one Twitter user wrote.

"Magnets which clamp people's mouths shut and need a custom tool to unlock? Looking forward to this in the next season of The Handmaid's Tale," wrote another.

Others also likened it to a medieval torture device.

The university shared some updates to the tweet, explaining that it's not meant to be a "quick or long-term" tool but was made to assist those who need to get surgery but cannot do so until they've lost weight.

Noting that critics of the device misunderstood its purpose, Brunton further explained that it's not for general weight-loss, but for clinical cases wherein the patient needs to quickly lose weight, according to the Otago Daily Times.

"Sometimes the first step [of losing weight] is quite difficult ... so it was developed with a view of being an additional treatment that could be used in selected cases where it's appropriate," Brunton said as per the outlet.