Toothbrush that emits electricity may more effectively prevent gum disease — SkimNews
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- Yanhui Lu and her Peking University colleagues developed piezoelectric-plastic bristles after studies showed that pressure-generated charges damage bacteria in infected wounds and medical implants.
- Piezoelectric bristles generated electricity when bent during brushing, triggering reactive-oxygen species that damage bacterial membranes; they remained soft and retained their electrical properties after three months.
- Thicker piezoelectric bristles killed about 53% of Streptococcus mutans and 78% of Porphyromonas gingivalis in laboratory tests, versus 9% and 8% for nylon bristles.
- Piezoelectric toothbrushes removed more than 99% of plaque from human-mouth plaque grown on cow enamel, compared with about 80% for conventional nylon brushes.
- Piezoelectric brushes produced roughly 40% reductions in plaque build-up, gum inflammation and bleeding in 109 adults brushing twice daily for three months, versus around 15% with nylon brushes.
- Plaque sequencing found a lower relative abundance of harmful bacteria and a higher abundance of some potentially beneficial bacteria among piezoelectric-brush users.
- Nicholas Jakubovics of Newcastle University, who was not involved in the study, called the concept "great" and "really innovative," but said larger studies are needed to establish whether it prevents cavities or tooth loss.
Why it matters: For people with plaque and gum inflammation, three months of twice-daily use delivered roughly 40% reductions in plaque, inflammation and bleeding, versus 15% for nylon. Sequencing also found a lower relative abundance of harmful bacteria and a higher share of some potentially beneficial species, adding a microbial change to the trial’s clinical measures.
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