Hand-Held Device for Fluorescence Excitation and for Irradiating Microorganisms in the Mouth and Throat

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand-held device for excitation and irradiation of pathogenic microorganisms in the mouth and throat, e.g. a toothbrush comprising at least one excitation light source in the short-wave visible spectral range for auto-fluorescence excitation of the pathogenic microorganisms, at least one primary irradiation light source in the red spectral range for primary irradiation of the pathogenic microorganisms and for transillumination, and optionally at least one secondary irradiation light source in the visible spectral range for secondary irradiation of the pathogenic microorganisms, wherein the irradiation light sources have spectral components that can be absorbed by endogenous porphyrins, which are produced by the pathogenic microorganisms, whereby a fluorescence excitation and an inactivation of the pathogenic microorganisms occurs on the basis of subsequent processes. In order to prevent the unintentional irradiation of the eyes, a pressure sensor is designed to release higher light intensities only once a contact pressure has been measured. In addition, the radiation must leave the hand-held device in a divergent manner. The spatially resolved detection of the fluorescence of the pathogenic microorganisms can optionally be used to induce the inactivation of the bacteria by targeted irradiation in the fluorescent range.

Claims

1. A hand-held device for excitation and irradiation of pathogenic microorganisms in the mouth and throat, comprising at least one excitation light source in the short-wave visible spectral range for auto-fluorescence excitation and irradiation of the pathogenic microorganisms, at least one primary irradiation light source in the red spectral range for primary irradiation of the pathogenic microorganisms and for transillumination, and optionally at least one secondary irradiation light source in the visible spectral range from 450 nm to 600 nm, wherein the emitted radiation of the irradiation light sources each have spectral components which can be absorbed by endogenous porphyrins produced by the pathogenic microorganisms, whereby fluorescence formation and inactivation of the pathogenic microorganisms occurs, and the hand-held device further comprises a pressure sensor which, upon detection of a pressure of the hand-held device onto an affected area, increases an irradiation light intensity to values in a range of 10 mW/cm2 to 100 mW/cm2 to achieve inactivation of the pathogenic microorganisms.

2. The handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one excitation light source for auto-fluorescence excitation and irradiation of the pathogenic microorganisms emits an excitation radiation corresponding to an absorption maximum of porphyrins.

3. The handheld device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one excitation light source for auto-fluorescence excitation and irradiation of the pathogenic microorganisms emits an excitation radiation in a range of 400 nm to 410 nm.

4. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one primary irradiation has a wavelength component in a range from 630 nm to 700 nm.

5. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein when present, the at least one optional secondary irradiation has a wavelength component in a range from 490 nm to 560 nm.

6. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein when present, emission of the optional at least secondary irradiation light source radiation is performed subsequently to emission of the at least one primary irradiation light source radiation, and wherein emission of the at least one primary irradiation light source radiation is performed subsequently to emission of the at least one excitation light source radiation.

7. The handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld device further comprises at least one light detection device for detecting an intrinsic fluorescence radiation of the pathogenic microorganisms.

8. The handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one excitation light source, the at least one primary irradiation light source and/or the optional at least one secondary irradiation light source comprises at least one of a light-emitting diode LED, an organic light-emitting diode OLED and/or a laser.

9. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one excitation light source, at low intensity, is for bacterial detection in the throat by fluorescence activation of porphyrins in the pathogenic microorganisms and, at higher intensity, for inactivation of surface pathogenic microorganisms, the at least one primary irradiation light source is for inactivation of deeper located pathogenic microorganisms and as a transmission source by transillumination for the detection and follow-up of sinusitis, and the optional at least one secondary irradiation light source is for inactivation of deeper located pathogenic microorganisms.

10. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held device is a manually or electrically operated toothbrush.

11. A method of inactivating a pathogenic microorganism within a users' oral cavity comprising: applying light of a first wavelength to the pathogenic microorganism from an excitation light source to a tissue infected with the pathogenic microorganism; and applying light of a second wavelength to the pathogenic microorganism from an irradiation light source to the tissue infected with the pathogenic microorganism; wherein the application of the light of first and second wavelengths is sufficient to inactivate the pathogenic microorganism.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wavelength of light is different from the second wavelength of light.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first wavelength of light is in the short-wave visible spectral range and the second wavelength of light is in the red spectral range.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising applying either the first wavelength of light or the second wavelength of light, or both, to the oral cavity tissue at multiple intensities.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second wavelength of light is applied at multiple intensities.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first wavelength of light is applied at a single intensity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first wavelength of light penetrates the oral tissue surface to a depth of about 1 mm or less.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a first intensity of the second wavelength is about 10 mW/cm2 and a second intensity of the second wavelength is about 100 mW/cm2.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second wavelength of light is applied at about 100 mW/cm2 of intensity and 360 J/cm2 of energy density.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising initiating the second intensity upon application of pressure between a device containing the irradiation light source and the microorganism.

Description

[0028] The invention is explained in more detail below while making reference to the figures described below, wherein:

[0029] FIG. 1 shows the survival rate of various bacterial strains cultivated in large-scale following single irradiation using 632.8-nm-radiation;

[0030] FIG. 2 shows the survival rate of microbiological samples from periodontitis patients following single irradiation using 632.8-nm-radiation;

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a light toothbrush according to the invention without electrically controlled brush movement for mechanical and optical every-day dental hygiene;

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a brush head of the light toothbrush of FIG. 3 according to the invention; and

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of a light toothbrush according to the invention with electrically controlled brush movement for mechanical and optical every-day dental hygiene.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment, the hand-held device according to the invention for stimulating and irradiating pathogenic microorganisms in the mouth and throat is implemented as a manually operated mechanical toothbrush 1, for the mechanical and optical every-day dental hygiene by mechanical plaque reduction and photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms in the mouth and throat, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the toothbrush 1 according to the invention can also be referred to as a light toothbrush 1, as cleaning effect is achieved not only by mechanical cleaning but, in addition, by light emission. Accordingly, the toothbrush 1 essentially comprises a toothbrush shaft 2, a toothbrush head 3 and a removable bristle carrier 4. A power or energy source 21 is integrated in the toothbrush shaft 2, for example in the form of a rechargeable battery which can wirelessly be recharged, such as by non-wire electromagnetic fields. Alternatively, the energy source 21 may be in the form of a replaceable energy source, for example in the form of a replaceable AA battery, or also in the form of a miniaturized energy source, such as a replaceable or also rechargeable button cell, to generally reduce the weight of the toothbrush 1. A circuit logic 22 is further arranged in the toothbrush shaft 2, for example in the form of a computer chip or the like, which controls a power distribution to light sources 31, 32, 33, wherein an interface in the form of a push button or switch 23 is further provided in the toothbrush shaft 2, through which a user can interact with the computer chip, for example to control the actuation of the light sources 31, 32, 33. In this context, the switch 23 may also be provided in the form of a touch screen on which a power supply for the individual light sources 31, 32, 33, for example, can be displayed. Furthermore, the light toothbrush 1 comprises a pressure sensor (not shown) which detects a contact pressure of the bristle carrier 4 or the toothbrush head 3 onto the targeted surface, comparing it with the usual contact pressure during tooth brushing, thereby detecting whether the bristle carrier 4 or the toothbrush head 3 is in contact with a tooth surface or the like in the mouth and throat or not, by means of the circuit logic 22. For safety reasons, the circuit logic 22 can control and increase a light intensity of the light sources 31, 32, 33 accordingly to a range of 10 mW/cm.sup.2 to 100 mW/cm.sup.2 only when this detection is performed, whereby, for example, a light intensity value hazardous to the eyes may be attained.

[0035] The light sources 31, 32, 33 are arranged in the toothbrush head 3 of the toothbrush 1 and, in the present example embodiment, comprise an excitation light source 31, a primary irradiation light source 32 and optionally a secondary irradiation light source 33, which are arranged in a top-down-arrangement during operation of the toothbrush 1, or from right to left in FIG. 3, i.e. in the form of a traffic light arrangement. In the present embodiment, the light sources 31, 32, 33 each comprise an LED or an arrangement of a plurality of LEDs, such as a so-called LED array, wherein the LED light sources 31, 32, 33 can be controlled by actuating the switch 23. Alternatively, the light sources each may also comprise an OLED or an array of OLEDs, or one or more lasers, which may be driven by actuating the switch 23. As indicated by zig-zag arrows in FIG. 3, the light sources 31, 32, 33 emit radiation which is emitted divergently outwards through the bristle carrier 4 as well as the bristles 41 thereon. This can be implemented without making use of additional optical components.

[0036] In the present example embodiment, however, the radiation transmission is implemented by optical fibers 311, 321, 331, wherein an optical fiber bundle 311 directs the excitation radiation in the range of 400 nm to 410 nm, preferably 405 nm, from the excitation light source 31 to the outside through the bristles 41, an optical fiber bundle 321 directs the irradiation radiation of the primary irradiation light source in the range of 630 nm to 700 nm, preferably 633 nm, from the primary irradiation light source 32 to the outside through the bristles 41, and an optional light fiber bundle 331 directs the optional irradiation radiation of the optional secondary irradiation light source in the range of 490 nm to 560 nm, preferably 505 nm, from the optional secondary irradiation light source 33 to the outside through the bristles 41. In the present embodiment, the emitting ends of the optical fiber bundles 311, 321, 331 are arranged in a region of the toothbrush head 3 which is kept free of bristles 41, as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, however, the bristles 41 may cover the entire surface of the bristle carrier 4, in which case the bristles 41 themselves may serve as an extension of the light fiber bundles 311, 321, 331, i.e. may be designed as light fibers. Basically, the hand-held device according to the invention can also be implemented in the form of a manually operated mechanical toothbrush comprising a non-removable bristle carrier, or in the form of an electrically operated toothbrush comprising a removable toothbrush head, in which case the light sources can be arranged in the fixed toothbrush shaft, only requiring a radiation guide outwards decouplable from the light sources.

[0037] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the toothbrush 1 may comprise at least one light detection device (not shown) arranged for detecting an intrinsic fluorescence radiation of the pathogenic microorganisms, so that the user is not required to rely on the visual detection of all intrinsically fluorescent microorganisms, but may pass this task to the light detection device. Accordingly, the light detection device can detect the intrinsic fluorescence of the excited microorganisms and output a corresponding detection signal, for example by means of a haptic or acoustic feedback to the user, wherein the strength of the feedback can reflect the intensity of the intrinsic fluorescence, or also as a visual display on the switch 23 designed as a touch screen. Furthermore, the light detection device can transmit the detection signal, i.e. the distribution of the fluorescent microorganisms at the end of the user's teeth, to the outside by means of a transmission device (not shown), for example via a wireless Bluetooth connection or the like to a computer, a cell phone or the like, by which the user can recognize the distribution of the fluorescent microorganisms on his teeth and take appropriate steps, especially with regard to the required irradiation by the primary and secondary irradiation light sources 32, 33, the intensity thereof, or also with regard to the respective irradiation duration.

[0038] According to another preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, the hand-held device according to the invention can also be integrated into an electrically operated toothbrush 1 or also as an automatically operated toothbrush. In this case, the electric toothbrush 1 consists of a toothbrush shaft or toothbrush base body 2, an exchangeable toothbrush head 3 integrated with a bristle carrier 4. A power or energy source 21 is integrated into the toothbrush shaft 2, for example in the form of a rechargeable battery that can wirelessly be charged, such as by non-wire electromagnetic fields. The electric light toothbrush 1 also in turn comprises a pressure sensor (not shown) that detects a contact pressure of the bristle carrier 4 or the toothbrush head 3, whereby it is possible to detect whether the bristle carrier 4 or the toothbrush head 3 is in contact with a tooth surface or the like in the mouth and throat or not. Furthermore, a circuit logic 22 is arranged in the toothbrush shaft 2, for example in the form of a computer chip or the like, which regulates a power distribution to light sources 31, 32, 33 also arranged in the toothbrush shaft 2, wherein furthermore an interface in the form of a push button or switch 23 is provided in the toothbrush shaft 2, by which a user can interact with the computer chip, for example to control activation of the light sources 31, 32, 33. In this context, the switch 23 can also be provided in the form of a touch screen on which a power supply for the individual light sources 31, 32, 33 can, for example, be displayed. The light sources 31, 32, 33 are located in the toothbrush head 3 of the toothbrush 1 and, in the present example embodiment, comprise an excitation light source 31, a primary irradiation light source 32 and an optional secondary irradiation light source 33, which are arranged in a top-down arrangement during operation of the toothbrush 1, or from right to left in FIG. 5. The light sources 31, 32, 33 in the present embodiment each comprise an LED or an arrangement of a plurality of LEDs, such as a so-called LED array, wherein the LED light sources 31, 32, 33 can be controlled by actuating the switch 23. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a motor 24 is provided for operating a drive shaft 241, which can also be operated by the power source 21 and actuated by the switch 23, the drive shaft 241 being provided for exerting the mechanical movement of the attachable brush head 3.

[0039] As it is shown in FIG. 5, the LED light sources 31, 32, 33 emit radiation which is guided through optical fibers 311, 321, 331 to the bristle carrier 4 and, through the bristles 41 thereof, is divergently emitted outwards. This radiation guide can alternatively be implemented by one or more mirrors as alternative light guiding paths without optical fibers. In the present example embodiment, the beam transmission is performed by the optical fibers 311, 321, 331, wherein the optical fiber bundle 311 directs the excitation radiation in the range of 400 nm to 410 nm, preferably 405 nm, from the excitation light source 31 to through the bristles 41, the optical fiber bundle 321 directs the irradiation radiation in the range of 630 nm to 700 nm, preferably 633 nm, from the primary irradiation light source 32 to the outside through the bristles 41, and the optional light fiber bundle 331 directs the optional irradiation radiation in the range of 490 nm to 560 nm, preferably 505 nm, from the optional secondary irradiation light source 33 to the outside through the bristles 41, wherein a radiation guide is outwards decouplable from the light sources 31, 32, 33 to enable replacement of the brush head 3.

[0040] The technical features of the embodiments described above are not limited to the particular embodiment described and accordingly are interchangeable.