Locking ourselves into the past: the DentalSlim Diet Control device and an incomplete understanding of obesity

“Medieval torture device,” “molar muzzle,” “gastrointestinal gulag.” [1, 2] These and other phrases have been used to describe the DentalSlim Diet Control, a weight-loss device first reported by Brunton et al. in a recent paper published in the British Dental Journal [3]. The device utilizes intraoral magnets to force patients onto a liquid diet and prevent them from opening their mouths beyond 2-mm wide. Although lauded as a “world-first” tool to fight the obesity epidemic, the device has significant limitations unaddressed in the original manuscript and may also have unintended effects in perpetuating weight stigma. As the DentalSlim device garners significant attention from the popular press and the lay public, it is imperative to address the device’s shortcomings and clarify standards of obesity treatment.