I-Corps: Handheld electric toothbrush with built-in vacuum and a collection reservoir to reduce aspiration risk

I-Corps：手持式电动牙刷，内置真空吸尘器和收集容器，可降低误吸风险

• 批准号: 2041092
• 负责人: Maxine Strickland
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2041092&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Handheld; electric; toothbrush; built

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a powered toothbrush with built-in suction to decrease aspiration risk during brushing. Pediatric, geriatric, and NPO (nothing by mouth) patients are at high risk for aspiration during toothbrushing, which may cause lung infections. Additionally, it has been recognized that a suction device potentially may minimize the spread of oral pathogens. Current products that aim to reduce aspiration risk by suction are bulky, either brush or vacuum (but not both simultaneously) and have exterior collection bag or use vacuum suction lines, which limit the use. An all-in-one portable device may be suitable for broader use.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a device for use in dental cleaning that is a handheld electric toothbrush with built-in vacuum and a collection reservoir. Numerous studies have established the benefit of electric toothbrushing, and also have shown that concomitant aspirates cause lung infections. Using a vacuum while brushing has not been addressed outside of the dental clinic/in-patient services. The proposed design uses a disposable head with a hole to allow evacuation of fluids from the oral cavity. An in-built pump and waste compartment differentiate enable simultaneous brush head cleaning and suction or in-device fluid collection. This proposed device provides a multi-purpose power toothbrush incorporating an integrated high-vacuum functionality into a (battery) powered toothbrush, providing for effective removal of saliva, debris, and fluids during brushing. The removal of these potentially harmful and infectious materials aids in the prevention of aspiration-related respiratory disease and potentially may reduce disease transmittal through aerosols.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种内置吸力的电动牙刷，以降低刷牙过程中的误吸风险。儿童、老年人和NPO（不经口）患者在刷牙时吸入的风险很高，这可能导致肺部感染。另外，已经认识到，抽吸装置潜在地可以使口腔病原体的传播最小化。 旨在通过抽吸降低吸入风险的当前产品体积庞大，或者是刷或者是真空（但不是同时两者），并且具有外部收集袋或者使用真空抽吸管线，这限制了使用。 一体化便携式设备可能适用于更广泛的用途。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种用于牙齿清洁的设备，该设备是一种内置真空和收集容器的手持式电动牙刷。许多研究已经确定了电动牙刷的好处，也表明伴随的吸入物会导致肺部感染。刷牙时使用真空吸尘器的问题在牙科诊所/住院服务之外尚未得到解决。 申报设计使用带孔的一次性头部，以允许从口腔中排出液体。内置的泵和废物室区分使刷头清洁和抽吸或设备内液体收集同时进行。 所提出的装置提供了一种多用途电动牙刷，其将集成的高真空功能结合到（电池）电动牙刷中，从而在刷牙期间提供唾液、碎屑和流体的有效去除。清除这些潜在的有害和传染性物质有助于预防与吸入有关的呼吸道疾病，并可能减少通过气溶胶传播的疾病。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。