A toothbrush apparatus, a method, and a medical system. The apparatus includes a sensing module configured to detect one or more brushing parameters for determining at least a brushing intensity. One or more processors are communicatively coupled to the sensing module and are configured to determine at least the brushing intensity and output the determined brushing intensity.

An oral care implement including a handle and an oral care refill head. The handle has a gripping portion, an engagement component coupled to a distal end of the gripping portion, and a stem. The engagement component includes a plate portion and a first engagement feature. The stem extends through an opening in the engagement component and protrudes from the plate portion. The oral care refill head includes an oral care treatment portion and a sleeve portion. The sleeve portion has an inner surface that defines a sleeve cavity having a cavity axis and a second engagement feature. When the oral care refill head is detachably coupled to the handle, the first and second engagement features mate with one another to at least one of: (1) position the oral care refill head and the handle in an operational alignment; and (2) lock the oral care refill head to the handle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush that enables an appropriate brushing pressure to be more reliably recognized. A head portion (10) provided on a tip end side in a long axis direction and having a bristle tufting surface (11), a grip portion (30) disposed on a rear end side from the head portion, and a neck portion (20) disposed between the bristle tufting surface and the grip portion are provided. A sound generation portion (70) that generates a click sound due to deformation when an external force in a first direction orthogonal to the bristle tufting surface exceeds a threshold value is provided on a rear end side from the bristle tufting surface.

This disclosure presents systems and methods to improve user brushing behavior. Exemplary implementations may: effectuate presentation of audio content via an audio output device, the audio content being characterized by an audio profile; obtain output signals from one or more sensors coupled to a user device, the output signals conveying user input information, the user input information defining user input by a user via the user device; determine, based on the user input information, a user profile, the user profile including one or more user values of the one or more audio attribute; compare the user profile with the audio profile to determine, for individual audio attributes, one or more differences; determine one or more scores reflecting the one or more differences; and/or perform other operations.

An oral care device (10) assesses a health parameter of gingival tissue of a user by means of a force-generating module (52) to apply a momentary force to the gingival tissue by applying a burst of compressed air or a burst of liquid to the gingival tissue, a sensor (28) to obtain a plurality of optical signals from the gingival tissue over time after the momentary force has been applied, a controller (30) to quantify, based at least in part on an analysis of the plurality of optical signals, the health parameter (e.g. inflammation of the gingival tissue), wherein the health parameter is based at least in part on an amount of time the gingival tissue takes to recover to the application of force; and a feedback module (46) to provide information to the user regarding the quantified health parameter.

A method of monitoring brushing of a tooth and gum surface includes sensing a brushing relative to the tooth surface during a brushing session and generating feedback in response to the brushing. In one embodiment, feedback is generated when a user, such as a child, starts brushing. In another embodiment, feedback is generated when the brushing technique deviates from a correct brushing technique, such as the Bass Technique. When a user uses a correct brushing technique, the bristles on the brush head of a tooth brush vibrate. When the user uses an incorrect brushing technique, the vibrations stop, alerting the user that her technique is incorrect. The user can be alerted about improper brushing techniques in other ways, such as by generating audible sounds such as chirps, interrupting audio signals such as music, generating flashing lights, or the like. Preferably, a user's brushing technique can be tracked for later evaluation.

A brush according to the present disclosure includes a head and a body. The head includes a bristle extending in a first direction. The body includes an actuator configured to expand and contract in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a connection member configured to transmit a vibration of the actuator to the head, and a housing that accommodates the actuator. The connection member includes a leg fixed to the housing.

A brush includes a head with bristles, an actuator that expands and contracts in accordance with an electric signal, a connection member that transmits vibration of the actuator to the head, and a body including a housing that houses the actuator. The direction of reciprocal vibration of the head is at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of extension of the housing.

The exemplary embodiments disclose an apparatus, a system and method, and a computer program product for removing dental plaque. The exemplary embodiments may include emitting light, detecting reflections of the light, analyzing the reflected light, and determining an amount or location of dental plaque based on the reflected light.

Systems and methods for enhancing a user's efficiency while operating an oral hygiene device (10) is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, motion information of an oral hygiene device is received from one or more accelerometers (32) located within the oral hygiene device. The received motion information is compared to a targeted motion of the oral hygiene device. The user operating the oral hygiene device is then provided with feedback in response to determining that the received motion information is within a predefined range of the targeted motion information.