JP2009119118A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toothbrush capable of irradiating gum pockets with blue rays and of helping clean them simultaneously and efficiently. <P>SOLUTION: The toothbrush 1 is provided with bristle members 3 filling a filling face P of a support body 16, wherein a length L3 of a part projecting from the face P is uneven among each member 3. Thereby, light-emitting bristles 31 and non-emitting bristles 32 can be introduced at a time into the pockets to the different depth. Accordingly, the toothbrush 1 is able to irradiate all of the inside of the pockets with the blue rays emitted from front ends 3b of the light-emitting bristles 31 while removing the plaque or the food residue from the pockets, thereby allowing the rays to sufficiently enhance a germicidal effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush with a light emitting function having a bactericidal effect.

It is known that microorganisms such as Porphyromonas existing in the periodontal pocket are related to the progression of periodontal disease. Sterilization of these microorganisms is effective for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease. Therefore, for example, in the oral appliance described in Patent Document 1, blue light having a wavelength of about 400 nm is irradiated toward the gingiva using a brush as a light guide. Thereby, the substance which has a porphyrin ring inside microorganisms is excited, and there exists a bactericidal effect of microorganisms by generation of radical species and heat.
JP-T-2006-521875 JP 2001-120358 A

  By the way, the blue light for sterilization described above has a property of being strongly absorbed by hemoglobin in blood. For this reason, even if blue light is irradiated from above the gingiva, the sterilizing effect of microorganisms in the periodontal pocket may not be sufficiently exhibited. On the other hand, blue light is also absorbed by plaques and food residues in the oral cavity. Therefore, even when the blue light is directly irradiated into the periodontal pocket, the microbicidal effect may not be sufficiently exhibited unless the inside of the periodontal pocket is sufficiently cleaned. Therefore, in consideration of user convenience, it is preferable that the blue light irradiation and the periodontal pocket cleaning be performed simultaneously and efficiently.

  Here, as a thing which cleans a periodontal pocket, there exists a toothbrush of patent document 2, for example. In this conventional toothbrush, the tapered bristles easily reach the back of the periodontal pocket. However, in this conventional toothbrush, since the length of the bristles is uniform, even if this is combined with the oral appliance of Patent Document 1, if the bristles are inserted to the bottom of the periodontal pocket, Irradiation near the entrance tends to be insufficient, and there is a problem that cleaning of the periodontal pocket tends to be insufficient if the hair tip is held at the entrance of the periodontal pocket.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush that can perform blue light irradiation and periodontal pocket cleaning simultaneously and efficiently.

  In order to solve the above problems, a toothbrush according to the present invention generates a blue light having a wavelength of 350 nm to 450 nm and a bristle material supported by a support and having a base having a constant outer diameter and a tapered tip. A light source; and a coupling means for coupling the blue light generated by the light source to the bristle material, wherein the bristle material has a portion where the length of the portion protruding from the support is non-uniform. .

  In this toothbrush, in the bristle material supported by the support, the length of the portion protruding from the support is non-uniform. If the length of the bristle material is uniform, if the bristles are inserted to the bottom of the periodontal pocket, irradiation near the entrance of the periodontal pocket tends to be insufficient, and if the bristles are kept at the entrance of the periodontal pocket, the teeth Peripheral pockets tend to be insufficiently cleaned. Therefore, by making the length of the hair material non-uniform, it is possible to simultaneously and efficiently perform the irradiation of blue light and the cleaning of periodontal pockets, and sufficiently exhibit the sterilizing effect of microorganisms by blue light. Is possible.

  The bristle material includes luminous hair to which blue light is coupled by the coupling means, and non-luminous hair to which blue light is not coupled by the coupling means, and the non-luminescent hair is disposed so as to surround the luminous hair. Preferably it is. In this way, by arranging the luminous hairs inside the non-luminous hairs, the blue light leaking from the base of the luminous hairs can be easily recombined with other luminous hairs, and the light transmission efficiency to the tip is improved. Enhanced. This realizes further enhancement of the sterilizing effect of microorganisms.

  According to the toothbrush which concerns on this invention, irradiation of blue light and cleaning of a periodontal pocket can be performed simultaneously and efficiently.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a toothbrush according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toothbrush according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip portion of the toothbrush shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the toothbrush 1 is an electric toothbrush which has the light emission function for disinfecting the inside of a periodontal pocket, the main-body part 2, the bristle material 3, the light source 4, and an optical coupling part. 5 and a vibration generator 6.

  The main body 2 is formed in a substantially rod shape by plastic resin such as AS resin (copolymerization compound of styrene and acrylonitrile) or polypropylene resin. The base end side of the main body 2 is a handle 11 for a user to hold the toothbrush 1. A switch 12 and the like are appropriately provided on the peripheral surface of the handle portion 11, and a grip surface adapted to the shape of a human finger is formed, for example, so that the user can firmly hold the toothbrush 1. Further, a battery box (not shown) for setting a dry battery or a storage battery is provided inside the handle portion 11.

  The front end side of the main body portion 2 is a head portion 13 in which the flocked surface P of the bristle material 3 is provided on one surface side. As shown in FIG. 2, the head portion 13 includes a hollow skeleton member 15 that opens on the base end side and the flocked surface P side, and a substantially plate-like support body 16 that is disposed inside the skeleton member 15. The overall shape is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. Details of the bristle material 3 will be described later.

  The support body 16 is positioned at a step difference from the first flat surface portion 16a located on the proximal end side and the distal end side of the first flat surface portion 16a, and the second flat surface portion 16b constituting the flocked surface P described above. And a connecting portion 16c for connecting the first flat portion 16a and the second flat portion 16b. The support 16 is configured so that the first flat surface portion 16a is along the inner wall 15c on the flocked surface P side of the skeleton member 15 and the second flat surface portion 16b closes the open end 15a on the flocked surface P side of the skeleton member 15. Are arranged.

  And the support body 16 is attached with respect to the frame | skeleton member 15 via the buffer body 17 provided in the base end side of the 1st plane part 16a, and the buffer body 18 provided in the circumference | surroundings of the 2nd plane part 16b. It is attached so that it can vibrate. As the buffer bodies 17 and 18, similarly to the hair material 3, a material having a high transmittance such as polyolefin or polystyrene is used. In addition, it is desirable that the buffers 17 and 18 have a refractive index lower than that of the hair material 3 by adjusting the composition.

  In addition, one or a plurality of protrusions 16 d protruding from the opening 15 b on the proximal end side of the skeleton member 15 are provided on the first flat surface portion 16 a. The head portion 13 can be attached to and detached from the distal end portion 11 a of the handle portion 11 by inserting and removing the projection 16 d into and from a concave portion 24 a of the vibrating body 24 described later.

  On the other hand, the light source 4 is embedded in the distal end portion 11 a of the handle portion 11. The light source 4 is, for example, a GeN laser diode that emits blue light having a wavelength of 400 nm to 430 nm. Blue light excites a substance having a porphyrin ring present inside a microorganism such as Porphyromonas related to the progression of periodontal disease, and generates radical species and heat. Therefore, by irradiating the microorganisms in the periodontal pocket with blue light, the sterilizing effect of the microorganisms by radical species and heat can be obtained.

  By using a GeN laser diode as the light source 4, higher energy conversion efficiency can be obtained compared to a lamp or the like. Further, cordlessness can be realized by cooperation with the battery in the handle portion 11, and the operability of the toothbrush 1 is ensured. In addition, as the light source 4, you may use LED which radiate | emits blue light of the same wavelength.

  The optical coupling part 5 is formed by a reflection wall 21 provided inside the head part 13 by a metal coating such as aluminum. More specifically, the reflecting wall 21 is formed along the first portion 21 a formed along the inner wall of the skeleton portion of the head portion 13 and the inner wall of the first flat portion 16 a in the support 16. The second portion 21b and the third portion 21c formed so as to face the inner wall of the second flat portion 16b are configured. The second portion 21b is attached to the first flat surface portion 16a via buffer bodies 22 and 23 similar to the buffer bodies 17 and 18. In addition, a substantially circular opening 21d is provided at the center of the third portion 21c.

  The blue light incident from the opening 15b on the proximal end side of the skeleton member 15 is guided toward the third portion 21c while being reflected by the first portion 21a and the second portion 21b of the reflecting wall 21, and this third light is reflected. The light is emitted in a substantially circular shape from the opening 21d of the portion 21c. The blue light emitted from the opening 21d is coupled to the bristle material 3 disposed facing the opening 21d.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, among the bristle material 3 planted on the tuft surface P, the bristle material 3 arranged in the substantially circular region at the substantially central portion is a light emitting hair 31 to which blue light is coupled. The bristle material 3 arranged in an annular region surrounding the light emitting hair 31 functions as a non-light emitting hair 32 to which blue light is not coupled. The blue light propagates inside the light emitting hair 31 and is emitted to the outside from the distal end portion 3 d of the light emitting hair 31.

  Similar to the light source 4, the vibration generator 6 is embedded in the distal end portion 11 a of the handle portion 11. A vibration body 24 made of, for example, quartz or PZT (lead zirconate titanate) ceramic is connected to the vibration generator 6. The vibrating body 24 is provided with a recess 24a into which the protrusion 16d of the support 16 can be inserted and removed. When the vibration generator 6 is driven in a state where the protrusion 16d is inserted into the recess 24a, the vibration of the vibrating body 24 is transmitted to the bristle material 3 via the support body 16, and the bristle material 3 is, for example, about tens of thousands of times per minute. Slightly vibrates vertically and horizontally.

  The bristle material 3 is formed of a resin such as polyolefin or polystyrene having sufficient permeability at a wavelength of 350 nm to 450 nm, for example. Each of the bristle materials 3 has a base portion 3a having a constant outer diameter and a tapered tip portion 3b.

  The outer diameter L1 of the base portion 3a is set in a range of, for example, a diameter of 0.15 mm to 0.25 mm, and the length L2 of the distal end portion 3b is set in a range of, for example, 3 mm to 10 mm. The length L3 of the bristle material 3 protruding from the flocked surface P is set, for example, in a range of 10 mm to 13 mm, and the length L3 between the bristle materials 3 has a variation width of 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm. It is uniform.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, in the light emitting hair 31, the spherical fine convex part 33 is formed in the surface of the front-end | tip part 3b, for example. Thereby, the center line average roughness Ra of the tip portion 3b is 0.2 μm or more, and the surface roughness of the tip portion 3b is three times or more of the surface roughness of the base portion 3a.

  In the toothbrush 1 having the above-described configuration, in the bristle material 3 planted on the flocked surface P of the support 16, the length L3 of the portion protruding from the flocked surface P is uneven among the bristle materials 3. Yes. When the length L3 of the bristle material 3 is uniform, if the hair tip is inserted to the bottom of the periodontal pocket, irradiation near the entrance of the periodontal pocket tends to be insufficient. There arises a problem that the cleaning of the circumferential pocket tends to be insufficient.

  On the other hand, when the length L3 of the bristle material 3 is not uniform, the light emitting hair 31 and the non-light emitting hair 32 can enter the periodontal pocket at various depths at a time. Therefore, the toothbrush 1 can irradiate the entire periodontal pocket with blue light emitted from the tip 3b of the light emitting hair 31 while removing plaque and food residue from the periodontal pocket. The sterilizing effect can be sufficiently exerted.

  The variation width of the length L3 of the bristle material 3 is 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm. From the viewpoint of preventing the progression of inflammation, it is very effective to sterilize the microorganisms with the blue light described above in the initial stage of periodontal disease. In this initial state, the depth of the periodontal pocket is about 3 mm. It is known to become. Therefore, by setting the variation width of the bristle length L3 within the above range, the bristle material 3 can be inserted into the periodontal pocket without excess or deficiency.

  In the toothbrush 1, the non-light emitting hairs 32 are arranged so as to surround the light emitting hairs 31. Thus, by arranging the light emitting hairs 31 so as to gather inside the non-light emitting hairs 32, the blue light leaking from the base portion 3a of the light emitting hairs 31 can be easily recombined with the other light emitting hairs 31, and the tip 3b. The light transmission efficiency to is increased. This realizes further enhancement of the sterilizing effect of microorganisms.

  Furthermore, in the toothbrush 1, the surface roughness of the front-end | tip part 3b in the light emitting bristle 31 is adjusted so that it may become larger than the surface roughness of the base 3a. With such a configuration, the amount of blue light leaked from the base 3a of the light emitting hair 31 can be made relatively small with respect to the amount of blue light emitted from the tip 3b. In addition, the blue light emitted from the distal end portion 3b is sufficiently diffused, and the blue light can be irradiated to every corner of the periodontal pocket.

[Second Embodiment]
Then, the toothbrush which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip portion of the toothbrush according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the toothbrush 40 according to the second embodiment extends the base portion 3 a of the light emitting bristle 31, and uses the extended portion itself as a blue light coupling means, so that the reflecting wall 21 in the head portion 13. This is different from the first embodiment in which is used as a coupling means. Other points are the same as in the first embodiment.

  That is, in the toothbrush 40, each of the light emitting hairs 31 has an extension portion 41 that extends toward the inside of the head portion 13. The extension portion 41 is bent toward the opening 15 b in the head portion 13, and the tip of the extension portion 41 is directly connected to the light source 4 at the end surface of the handle portion 11. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Third Embodiment]
Then, the toothbrush which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip portion of the toothbrush according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the toothbrush 50 according to the third embodiment is the first in which the light source 4 is disposed at the distal end portion 11 a of the handle portion 11 in that the light source 4 is disposed inside the head portion 13. It is different from the embodiment. Other points are the same as in the first embodiment.

  That is, in the toothbrush 50, the light source 4 is fixed to the skeleton member 15 inside the head portion 13, and the base 3 a of the light emitting hair 31 is directly connected to the light source 4 on the back side of the flocked surface P. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in each of the embodiments described above, the length L3 protruding from the flocked surface P is non-uniform for each of the light emitting hair 31 and the non-light emitting hair 32. For example, the length L3 of the non-light emitting hair 32 is made uniform, The length L3 of the light emitting hair 31 may be shorter than the non-light emitting hair 32 with a variation width of about 1 mm to 3 mm.

  Moreover, you may make it incline the hair material 3 with respect to the flocked surface P so that the space | interval of the hair materials 3 may become smaller in the front-end | tip part 3b side rather than the base 3a side. In this case, for example, the hair material 3 in the vicinity of the center of the flocked surface P is substantially perpendicular to the flocked surface P, and as the furthest material 3 moves away from the center of the flocked surface P, the hair material 3 moves from 0 ° to 5 toward the center of the flocked surface P. Inclined gradually in the range of about °. With such a configuration, the power density of the bristle material 3 in the periodontal pocket is further improved, and plaque and food residue can be more reliably removed. Further, the emission direction of blue light is dispersed, and it becomes easier to irradiate blue light to every corner of the periodontal pocket.

  The vibration mechanism using the vibration generator 6 and the attaching / detaching mechanism using the protrusion 16d are not necessarily provided. In this case, the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

It is a perspective view which shows the toothbrush which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part of the toothbrush shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the mode of arrangement | positioning of luminescent hair and non-luminescent hair. It is a figure which expands and shows the front-end | tip part of luminous hair. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part of the toothbrush which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part of the toothbrush which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,40,50 ... Toothbrush, 3 ... Bristle material, 3a ... Base part, 3b ... Tip part, 4 ... Light source, 5 ... Optical coupling part (coupling means), 16 ... Support body, 21 ... Reflecting wall, 31 ... Luminous hair 32 ... non-light emitting hair, 41 ... extension (coupling means).

Claims (2)

A bristle supported by a support and having a base having a constant outer diameter and a tapered tip;
A light source that generates blue light having a wavelength of 350 nm to 450 nm;
A coupling means for coupling the blue light generated by the light source to the hair material;
The bristle material has a portion where the length of the portion protruding from the support is non-uniform. The hair material is
Luminous hair to which the blue light is coupled by the coupling means;
Non-light emitting hair to which the blue light is not coupled by the coupling means,
The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the non-light emitting bristles are arranged so as to surround the light emitting bristles.

Images