OSAKA -- An Osaka dentist has received Japanese and U.S. patents for a set of false teeth containing a tiny microchip that identifies its wearer.

False teeth with memory chips implanted in the gum have been patented by an Osaka dentist.

Hisashi Kishigami said Thursday that he hopes the set of teeth will one day simplify and also speed up the job of identifying people and determining their dental histories.

About 50 people have undergone clinical trials with the high-tech denture, currently able to hold only numerical codes. Kishigami hopes to increase the chip's memory to handle such data as personal names, addresses, dentist names and the date the devices were produced.

"Even the ability to determine the identity of senile elderly people would have great potential," he said.

The chips are 11 mm long and 2 mm in diameter and can hold a 15-digit code. A special instrument uses radio waves to read the data.

The devices have been shown to produce no adverse effects on the body. or interference with other types of electronic medical equipment.

The chips are expected to mark a big improvement in the way information is currently put on false teeth in some cases by engraving, a process hampered by the eventual fading of the engraved information and weakening of the engraved teeth.

"If shared standards for the chips can be developed, the job of making replacement teeth for ones made at other hospitals would become a lot easier," Kishigami said, adding that the ability to make instant and accurate identification checks on people could also be helpful to police.