Description:
Toothbrush Suction Apparatus and Method
NJIT Case No. 18-027
Inventors: Vivek Kumar, Maxine Strickland
Intellectual Property & Development status: Patent protection is pending.
NJIT is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and commercialization of this opportunity.
Technology Brief:
Researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the Departments of Biomedical, Chemical and Material Engineering and the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine have invented a novel electric toothbrush attachment that can rapidly clean the saliva, plaque and debris from the oral cavity while brushing.
Electric toothbrushes are an effective and common method for plaque removal. Management of fluids while brushing, however, can be a challenge for young, convalescent, elderly, or disabled populations, who may have difficulty spitting and may tend to swallow or aspirate toothpaste and particulates during the brushing process. The remaining fluids after brushing contain microorganisms and bacteria that can result in dental caries, respiratory diseases, and pneumonia. This invention can withdraw saliva, toothpaste and debris during brushing at a rate commensurate with activated saliva production. Overall, this may minimize pneumonia and diseases due to brushing aspirates in the above populations who cannot spit or swallow properly. Notably, this novel design can be adapted as an attachment to almost any commercially available electric toothbrush.
Applications
• Evacuation assisted brushing
o Elderly Populations
o Individuals with limited swallowing ability
o Pediatric population
o Individuals in nursing homes
Advantages
• Adaptable to existing electronic toothbrushes
• Inexpensive
• Easy scaling up
Inventors Bio:
Vivek Kumar is an assistant professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, and Chemical and Materials Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Before that, he was a NIH F32 postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and BIDMC, Harvard Medical School. He completed his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology under the supervision of world-renowned surgeon-scientist Elliot Chaikof, MD, PhD. He received his BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. Dr. Kumar’s research focus is the development of novel biomaterials and composites for a variety of tissue engineering applications including, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, therapeutic angiogenesis and inflammation modulation. Materials developed in the KumarLab (kumarlab.njit.edu) are being explored for treatment of a variety of indications including cholesterol lowering (PCSK-9) inhibitors, novel hemostats, chemotherapeutic delivery, treatment of aberrant vasculature in diabetic retinopathy, stem cell delivery, vaccine adjuvants, microbicides, neurogenic peptides for neuroprotection and regeneration after stroke/ TBI, dental pulp regeneration, and tissue engineered blood vessels. Dr. Kumar is a prolific author with over 14 years of experience in the synthesis, characterization and translation of a range of biomaterials with over 30 peer-reviewed research articles, over 30 conference presentations/ abstracts, 8 issued/pending patents, and 2 University technology driven start-ups. His publications have been cited nearly 1000 times, with a h-index of 17. Dr. Kumar has received multiple awards for both his academic and entrepreneurial work – including the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service F32 Award, American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship, & numerous awards at scientific meetings and pitch events.