| Electric Toothbrush |
Article Index for Electric |
Website Links For Electric |
Information AboutElectric Toothbrush |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH | |
| oral hygiene | |
| dental equipment | |
|
An electric toothbrush is a Toothbrush that uses electric power to move the brush head, normally in an Oscillating pattern, though electric toothbrushes are often called 'rotary' toothbrushes. HISTORY Dr. Scott's 'electric' toothbrush In the late 1800s in the USA, a man named Dr. George A. Scott claimed to invent an "electric" toothbrush. American Artifacts - Dr. Scott's Quack Electric Devices However, unlike actual electronically-powered bristle brushes, Dr. Scott's brush merely sent a strong electrical current through the brush to whoever was using it at the time. The shock was apparently (according to lore of the time) supposed to "promote good health". Evolution of the modern toothbrush Although a true electric toothbrush was first conceived in 1880 Academy of General Dentistry - Dental advances and reliably sold in 1939 (in Switzerland) ToothbrushExpress.com - Toothbrush History , it took almost 30 years for the invention to be produced in the USA; the Broxodent {Link without Title} , was a rotating electric toothbrush introduced by Squibb Pharmaceutical at the centennial of the American Dental Association in 1960 . These were initially created for patients with limited motor skills, as well as those with Orthodontic patients (such as those with Brace s). Claims have been made that these are more effective than manual toothbrushes, as it leaves less room for patients to brush incorrectly. Electric toothbrushes such as those made by Braun , have become increasingly cheap. However, part of this is offset by the (relatively) high retail cost of the disposable brush heads. Charging The electronic compartments in the electronic toothbrushes are completely sealed to prevent water damage. There are no metal contacts. These toothbrushes charge using a technique called Inductive Charging . In the brush unit is one half of a Transformer , and in the charge-unit is the other part of the transformer. When brought together, a varying magnetic field in one coil induces a current in the other coil, thereby allowing for the charging of a battery. Other electric toothbrushes use replaceable batteries, disposable or rechargeable, storing them in the bottom, generally thicker than a normal toothbrush. EFFECTIVENESS Independent research finds that most electric toothbrushes are no more effective than the manual variety. The exception is the "rotation-oscillation"-models, including many of the electrical brushes in Braun's Oral B -series Thumbs down for electric toothbrush - BBC News[http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1601-5037.2004.00048.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=idh] Penick, Catherine (2004) Power toothbrushes: a critical review - International Journal of Dental Hygiene 2 (1), 40-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2004.00048.x Manual versus powered tooth brushing for oral health. Commentary , but even this brush performs only marginally better than a regular manual brush. The research done indicates that the way the brushing is performed is of a higher importance than the choice of brush. For people who for various reasons have problems with the physical work of brushing (i.e. people with arthritis and elderly people), electric brushes help. Someone who has started to take cleaning his or her teeth more seriously may well improve technique and at the same time decide on the purchase of an electric toothbrush - hence the purchase can be an effect rather than a cause. If the brusher enjoys brushing better with an electric toothbrush and brushes with it more carefully, more often, or for the proper amount of time because of its use, then it can significantly improve oral hygiene by improving compliance with recommendations. DIFFERENT KIND OF BRUSHES The Cochrane study separated the electrical toothbrush designs into:
REFERENCES |
|
|