Device for Tooth Cleaning in the Disabled

残疾人洁牙装置

• 批准号: 1138018
• 负责人: Shiva Kotha
• 金额: $ 11.92万
• 依托单位: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-11-16 至 2012-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1138018&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Device; Tooth; Cleaning; Disabled

0933337KothaGood oral hygiene practices, such as brushing teeth regularly, are critical to maintaining tooth and periodontal health. Lack of regular brushing eventually leads to calculus formation, which can lead to caries, and periodontitis. In disabled individuals with reduced manual dexterity, brushing is not rigorous enough to maintain oral hygiene. This leads to a higher incidence of caries and periodontitis in these cohorts. Poor oral health not only affects nutritional status adversely, it also has serious implications on quality of life with a substantial increase in the susceptibility of these individuals to chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary ailments. This provides the impetus to develop a novel, hands-free device for tooth cleaning, with the objective of improving oral health in the disabled. In this proposal, our goals are to evaluate two techniques that in combination will reduce the power required to induce cavitations produced by piezoelectric strips, with relevance towards cleaning teeth. To achieve these goals, we propose to: (1) Manufacture customized piezoelectric strips that can generate different ultrasound frequencies and be operated with different phase offsets and determine the reduction in power required to generate cavitations, (2) Develop gels that contain pre-formed bubbles and particulate to further reduce the power required to generate cavitations and determine the reduction in power required to generate cavitations, and (3) Determine the efficacy of the device in tooth cleaning of porcine teeth in vitro.INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The scientific and technological impact of this proposal lies in advancing our knowledge of factors that can be used to lower ultrasonic powers required to generate cavitations, with a special focus on particulate components that can be used to clean and regenerate tooth surfaces.BROADER IMPACT: The underlying principles generated from this study have important implications in improving the efficiency of cleaning devices (especially the proposed tooth cleaning device), as well as in lowering the energy threshold for use of ultrasound in biomedical therapeutic applications. In addition, it has direct influence on the long-term health and quality of life in disabled individuals with impaired hand mobility.A broad educational program on Ultrasound Transducer Design and Applications will be developed concurrently and will focus on the education of not only undergraduate and graduate students but also high school students, teachers and the general public. A web site will be created with tutorials on Ultrasound (showing finite element movies of pressure propagation and its role in cavitations), and the possible influences that advances in this arena has to the development of potential therapies. The web-site will include real-time information at the forefront of ongoing research. The education efforts aimed at high school students will include workshops for high school teachers, seminars and workshops for high-school students. These individuals will not only participate in training sessions and seminars but will also perform hands-on laboratory demonstrations. Undergraduate education will be complemented by research opportunities for undergraduates in the proposed research and the formation of a senior level technical elective, Ultrasound for Imaging and Treatment. The proposed research will be performed by PhD and MS students, at least one of whom will be a minority female student. Graduate students will also be actively involved in outreach efforts to the general public as well as efforts that target high school students and teachers.

良好的口腔卫生习惯，如定期刷牙，对保持牙齿和牙周健康至关重要。缺乏规律的刷牙最终会导致结石的形成，这可能会导致龋齿和牙周炎。对于手部灵活性降低的残疾人来说，刷牙不够严格，不足以保持口腔卫生。这导致这些队列中的龋齿和牙周炎的发病率更高。口腔健康状况不佳不仅会对营养状况产生不利影响，还会严重影响生活质量，使这些人对慢性心血管和肺部疾病的易感性大大增加。这为开发一种新的、免提清洁牙齿的设备提供了动力，目的是改善残疾人的口腔健康。在这项提案中，我们的目标是评估两种技术，这两种技术相结合将减少压电条产生的空化所需的功率，并与清洁牙齿相关。为了实现这些目标，我们建议：(1)制造定制的压电片，它可以产生不同的超声波频率，并以不同的相位偏移量运行，并确定产生空化所需功率的减少；(2)开发含有预先形成的气泡和颗粒的凝胶，以进一步降低产生空化所需的功率，并确定产生空化所需的功率减少，以及(3)确定该装置在体外清洗猪牙齿中的效率。BROADER IMPACT：这项研究产生的基本原理对提高清洁设备(特别是建议的牙齿清洁设备)的效率以及降低生物医学治疗应用中使用超声波的能量门槛具有重要意义。此外，它还直接影响手部活动障碍的残疾人的长期健康和生活质量。一个广泛的超声换能器设计和应用教育项目将同时开展，重点不仅是本科生和研究生的教育，还包括高中生、教师和普通公众的教育。将创建一个网站，提供有关超声波的教程(展示压力传播及其在空化中的作用的有限元电影)，以及这一领域的进步对潜在疗法的发展可能产生的影响。该网站将包括处于正在进行的研究的前沿的实时信息。针对高中生的教育努力将包括为高中教师举办的讲习班、为高中生举办的研讨会和讲习班。这些人不仅将参加培训课程和研讨会，还将进行动手实验室演示。除了本科教育外，还将为本科生提供拟议研究的研究机会，并开设高级技术选修课--超声成像与治疗。这项拟议的研究将由博士生和硕士研究生进行，其中至少有一人将是少数民族女性学生。研究生还将积极参与面向公众的外联工作，以及针对高中生和教师的努力。