WO2017094004A1

WO2017094004A1 - Self-propelled dental device

Info

Publication number: WO2017094004A1
Application number: PCT/IL2016/051280
Authority: WO
Inventors: Boaz TOPOROVSKY; Moshe TOPROVSKY; Zvi Shiller; Gabriel HARTMANN
Original assignee: Roboteeth Advanced Technologies Ltd.
Priority date: 2015-11-30
Filing date: 2016-11-30
Publication date: 2017-06-08
Also published as: IL242860A0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-propelled dental device, comprising: a) a body portion having an inner surface formed to cover the top and sides surfaces of at least part of a tooth located at one of the jaws; and b) at least one control unit disposed within the body portion for enabling an autonomous movement of said body portion on the teeth, while applying an oral care treatment and/or while monitoring the teeth and gum.

Description

SELF-PROPELLED DENTAL DEVICE Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of dental equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a dental device that may function as an autonomous unit for applying oral care treatment (e.g., cleaning one or more of the teeth, the interdental or the gingival areas), and/or for monitoring the conditions of the teeth and gum, in particular while performing an autonomous and automatic movement on the teeth.

Background of the invention

It is well known that bacteria in the mouth may cause the formation of plaque on the teeth. If plaque is not removed within a day or two it usually becomes tartar, which can cause gum disease and tooth decay. Tartar can be removed using professional tools and is usually done by dental hygienists. Moreover, it is consensual that teeth health may impact the body health.

Various devices have been developed for cleaning of teeth, wherein the most common one is a standard toothbrush for personal use. But, self- cleaning makes brushing with a toothbrush far from perfect and may inflict damage because of misuse. Most of the existing devices for cleaning tartar are directed for periodic professional use, which require training and cannot be used daily.

Therefore there is always a need to clean teeth daily, remove plaque so as to avoid the formation of tartar and avoid damage to the teeth.

It is the objective of the present invention to provide a device which is capable of autonomously cleaning the teeth and gums within an intra-oral cavity by enabling an autonomous and automatic movement on the teeth. It is another objective of the present invention to provide a novel self- propelled dental tool that is able to move along the teeth.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a novel self- propelled dental tool that is able to monitor plaque and tartar formation, tooth decay and gums health.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

According to an embodiment of the invention, the inner surface includes a brush assembly adapted to contact the tooth.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the movement of the body portion is enabled by a motor adapted to vibrate an array of bristles located on the brush assembly.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the autonomous movement of the body portion is enabled by a traction mechanism that applies the force required to move said body portion on the teeth. According to an embodiment of the invention, the autonomous movement of the body portion is enabled by activating electroactive polymers to generate a crawling movement.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the movement of the body portion is enabled by the tongue and jaws.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the brush assembly includes one group of bristles for cleaning the teeth and one group of bristles for facilitating the movement of the body portion on the teeth.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the body portion having a U- shape profile which is formed by a base portion and two cleaning arms that extend from both ends of the base portion, while the distal ends of both arms creates an adaptive gap.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the adaptive gap is enabled by a flexible joint between each arm and the base portion.

According to an embodiment of the invention, each cleaning arm includes a brush assembly configured to contact the teeth during the autonomous movement.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the device further comprises a dispensing arrangement disposed within the body portion for enabling to dispense an oral product in form of liquid or paste.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the dispensing arrangement includes a compartment adapted to receive a capsule containing the oral product, According to an embodiment of the invention, the body portion having an additional inner surface formed to cover the top and sides surfaces of at least part of a tooth located at the corresponding other jaw, thereby enabling to apply an oral care treatment and/or to monitor the teeth and gum at the upper and lower jaws simultaneously.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the device further comprises at least one sensor for enabling to monitor the condition of one or more teeth during the autonomous movement of the body portion on the teeth.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the device further comprises plaque detection means for detecting plaque during the monitoring of the teeth and gums.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the plaque detection means disposed within the body portion, e.g., at the inner surface.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the control unit controls the autonomous movement of the body portion in terms of motion control such as acceleration, deceleration, and speed, or increase/decrease a cleansing effect according to the monitoring.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the device further comprises at least one pressure sensor for enabling to detect the intensity the inner surface of the body portion contacts the teeth or gum.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the monitoring enables to map the teeth by creating a geometric representation of the teeth and record their conditions, plaque and tartar formation. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for performing tasks in an oral cavity during an autonomous movement on the teeth, comprising: providing the self-propelled dental device; and during the movement of said dental device on said teeth applying an oral care treatment and/or monitoring the teeth and gum.

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the tasks includes detecting the presence of a substance on a dental surface, such as the teeth and/or gums.

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the tasks includes monitoring gum conditions.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the detection determines if the substance present on the dental surface is plaque or tartar.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises providing an excitation light; receiving a return light beam from the teeth; and generating a plaque identification signal from the return light beam.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings:

- Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a self-propelled dental hygiene device, according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2A schematically illustrates a front view of the self-propelled dental hygiene device;

- Fig. 2B schematically illustrates a bottom view of the self-propelled dental hygiene device; Fig. 3 schematically illustrate the self-propelled dental hygiene device during a cleaning process of a first type of tooth;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrate the self-propelled dental hygiene device during a cleaning process of a second type of tooth;

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a vibrating motor for causing the movement of the self-propelled dental hygiene device, according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Figs. 6 and 7 schematically illustrate the forces that apply on the self-propelled dental hygiene device in appositive and negative directions;

Figs. 8A and 8B schematically demonstrate the movement of the self-propelled dental hygiene device of Fig. 1 along the teeth; and Fig. 9 schematically illustrates in a block diagram form, the control unit of the self-propelled dental hygiene device of Fig. 1, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A self-propelled dental device of the present invention is a robotic-like device that may function as an autonomous unit in order to perform tasks such as cleaning, monitoring, or applying an oral care treatment to the teeth and gingival areas, wherein the self-propelled dental device has a feature that such tasks can efficiently be performed by an autonomous movement on teeth, and may be performed without using the hands as required when using existing dental tools such as a toothbrush or other dental device that is manipulated by a handle. In some embodiments, the user might only need to apply pressure by one of the jaws during the task performance on the other jaw (e.g., to keep brush on the other jaw).

The dental device may have a U-shaped structure that covers at least part of a tooth from three sides (i.e., top and both the inner and outer sides of the tooth), so that when it autonomously moves/travels on the teeth it may clean one or more teeth, monitor their condition or may apply oral care treatment to one or more teeth/gum (or another part of the mouth - tongue, cheeks, etc.). There is no particular limitation to the shape of the structure as long as a self-propelled dental device can move along the set of teeth on the upper or lower jaw, or on both jaws simultaneously (depending on the structure of the device), usually from one side of the oral cavity to the other and/or vice versa, e.g., as partially demonstrated in Figs. 8A and 8B, or by other variations of motion/travelling method on the teeth. According to an embodiment of the invention, during the autonomous movement of the dental device on the teeth it may apply a specific treatment to each individual tooth (depending on the detected condition of each individual tooth).

Reference will now be made to several embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

Figs. 1 and 2 schematically illustrate a self-propelled dental device 10, according to an embodiment of the invention. In configurations that include bristles, such a device may alternatively be referred to as a robotic toothbrush herein as well, though this is not intended to be limiting inasmuch as the device 10 may be, and often is adapted to perform tasks while performing autonomous movements on structures other than teeth. Some operational effects of tasks performed by such a device or toothbrush, as described hereinafter, may include a significant cleansing efFect produced by the bristles to remove bacterial plaque on the teeth. This effect may include an enhanced scrubbing effect produced by the motion of the bristles when they are in actual physical contact with the teeth to be cleaned. In some embodiments, the cleansing effect may be applied to each individual tooth according to the actual condition of the tooth (e.g., a longer scrubbing action may apply to areas where there is a lot of plaque then to cleaner areas).

In this embodiment, device 10 comprises a general body portion having an arc-like or U-shape profile which is formed by a base portion 1 and two cleaning arms 2 that extend from both ends of the base portion 1, while creating an adjustable or adaptive gap between the distal ends of both arms 2. Device 10 is configured in such a way that the adaptive gap between arms 2 can be adjusted to fit the profile/structure of each individual tooth, e.g., by using a flexible hinge-like connection, springs, joints, or other mechanical arrangement that may enable flexibility) to adjust the gap between the arms 2. The adaptive gap enables device 10 to fit different tooth structures and profiles (e.g., a wider or narrower tooth 22, 23 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, where the gingiva is indicated by numeral 21 in both figures). The base portion 1 and at least one of the arms 2, each includes one or more array of bristles that acts like a cleaning head arrangement, herein generally referred to as respective brush head assemblies 6 and 4.

Brush head assembly 6 includes bristles for contacting at least the tooth's crown (i.e., the top surface of the teeth), and brush head assemblies 4 include bristles for contacting at least one or both of the lingual and buccal tooth surfaces (i.e., the inner and outer surface of the teeth).

Device 10 is configured to self-travel in an autonomous manner along the teeth either at the upper or lower jaw in the oral cavity of the user, but it can be configured to perform tasks on both the upper and the lower jaws at the same time (e.g., by using a dual "back-to-back" U-shape structure that enables to cover the corresponding lower and upper teeth at the same time). The self-traveling can be obtained in variety of ways while using various mechanisms that are capable of applying/producing a motion energy to drive device 10 on the teeth, such as by vibrating the bristles and thereby causing them to advance the device along a track formed by the user's teeth, by traction based rolling arrangement that applies the force required to move the device on the teeth (e.g., by using wheels arrangement or a continuous track arrangement in which a continuous band of treads or track plates is driven by wheels that are driven e.g., by an electric motor, a piezo-electric motor or by a spring), electroactive polymers adapted to generate a crawling movement, or any other traction mechanism that will enable an autonomous traveling of device 10 along the teeth structure.

Although the motion energy can be produced by common mechanisms such as an electric motor, piezo-electric motor, it can also be produced by the movement of the tongue and jaws of the user. Thus, a repetitive action of opening/closing the mouth may cause to the movement of device 10 on the teeth. Moreover, device 10 can be powered by either an internal power source (e.g., a battery) or an external power source in wired or wireless manner (e.g., via electrical cables or an electric field).

According to an embodiment of the invention, the body portion of the device may further include a dispensing arrangement disposed within the body portion for enabling to dispense an oral product in form of liquid or paste. For example, the body portion may include a toothpaste capsule compartment and a dispensing mechanism (not shown) configured to deliver the toothpaste (or at least part of it) to the bristles. According to an embodiment of the invention, device 10 comprises a control unit 90 (e.g., as shown in Fig. 9) that may reside, e.g., within the base portion 1. The control unit 90 may include a controller 91, one or more sensors 92, a motion energy generation module 93 (e.g., based on an oscillating or vibration methods) and a power source 94. In some embodiments, the control unit 90 may further include a communication module 95 as to enable data communication with other equipment or computer based devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, personal computer, remote network devices, etc.).

In this embodiment, the motion energy generation module 93 is adapted to provide a vibratory movement to at least one of the brush assembly 4 in order to cause them to advance along the user's teeth. In such configuration, the cleaning arms 2 are used for both cleaning the teeth and gums as well as to enable the movement of the device 10 along an arching- like track as formed by the arrangement of the teeth (e.g., see Figs. 8A and 8B). For example, the motion energy generation module 93 can be based on a vibrating motor with an eccentric mass (as shown by numeral 51 in Fig. 5) that applies forces on the brush assembly 4 along the "x-y" plane, or along another plane (see also Fig. 1). According to other configurations, the motion energy generation module 93 can be based on other technique or method for enabling the autonomous movement of device 10 on the teeth, such as an electric motor or a piezo-electric motor that are adapted to rotate a slider or a roller.

Although they are not directed to movement on the teeth, the following examples refer to possible movement models with respect to the vibration of the bristles as described in several publications such as (1) "Motility of a Model Bristle-Bot: a Theoretical Analysis" by Giancarlo Cicconofri and Antonio DeSimone SISSA, International School of Advanced Studies Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste - Italy, October 6^th 2014; (2) F. Becker, et al "On the Mechanics of Bristle-Bots - Modeling, Simulation and Experiments", Conference ISR ROBOTIK 2014; and (3) US Patent No. 8,294,333 that discloses a vibrating robotic crawler.

For example, with respect to motor 51, forces caused by eccentric mass rotation that are attached to the swivel engine axis, perpendicular to the x-y plane. The power generated depends on the eccentric mass "m", distance "r" from the center of rotation, and the rotation frequency "ω' (The applied centrifugal force ("F"): ¥= τητω²). Vector force exerted by the vibrating motor 51 moves in a circle in the x-y plane. Projections of this force in the direction of x and y, are both contribute to the movement of the brush. Motor 51 is one example for employing a movement model although of course other movement models can be obtained using alternative mechanisms, all of which is encompassed by the invention.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates an example for the forces applied to the dental device of the present invention in a positive direction (i.e., "x" direction), and Fig. 7 schematically illustrates the forces applied to the dental device in a negative direction. The main forces are the friction ("f ) between the bristles of the dental device and the surface of the teeth, and the force generated by the motor (i.e., the centrifugal force "F"). In the positive direction the friction is indicated by "flpositive", and in the negative direction the friction is indicated by "f_negative", which is in the opposite direction to the "f_positive".

In order to advance forward, the following inequalities need to be satisfied: F (max) > f_positive and f_positive < f_negative

where F (max) is the highest value of the projection of the centrifugal force on the "x" direction. Using a simple model allows to estimate the average velocity of the device along a straight line. This model assumes that motion is possible only in the positive direction, since the friction force in the negative direction is sufficiently high to prevent slippage in the negative direction.

Given the above conditions, a lower bound on the maximum velocity of the dental device can be calculated from the following formula:

b - a ( f

mr T

2πΜ where,

π

M = the mass of the dental device

m = the eccentric mass of motor's axis

r = distance of the mass "m" from the center of rotation

ω = angular velocity of the motor (i.e., frequency)

f = the friction between the bristles of the dental device and the surface of the teeth

For example, for the following parameters:

M = 3 gr.

f = 0.03N

F = 0.37N

ω = 1050 rad/sec the maximum speed of the dental device on the teeth is estimated to be at least 2.5 cm/sec. This is sufficiently high when the maximum speed of the dental device, required to clean one jaw, is estimated at less than 1.0 cm/sec, for cleaning time of 15 sec. Of course, whenever required (e.g., during the applying of a cleaning process), the dental device can be stopped at the location of a specific tooth (i.e., no velocity).

Based on experiments conducted for such configurations, the length of the bristles can be between 2 - 20 millimeters, the width of the bristles can be between 0.07-0.25 millimeters, and the angle of the motion bristles can be between 0-70 degrees.

It may be understood, however, that other motion energy generation module and driving circuitry for enabling the autonomous movements could be used. In any case, the brush heads may be disposed to reach the teeth and possibly also the gums in a desirable fashion as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 8A and 8B) to thereby brush away plaque and/or debris lodged in and/or between the teeth, and/or provide a vital massage of the gums, particularly adjacent to the teeth, during the autonomous movement. As indicated in Figs 8A and 8B, the bristles of cleaning arms 2 fit around the teeth 20, and possibly also penetrate into the portions of the interdental regions between teeth.

According to an embodiment of the invention, control unit 90 may control the energy produced by the motion energy generation module 93 in order to manipulate the movements of device 10 on the teeth, e.g., in terms of traveling rates and the cleaning rate required for each individual tooth, depending on the readings as obtained by the sensor module 92, as will be described in further details hereinafter. According to an embodiment of the invention, the cleaning arms 2 are detachable for the base portion 1, thereby enabling to replace/change the brush head assemblies 4. Thus, cleaning arms 2 with similar or alternative array of bristles can be attached to base 1 (e.g., alternative bristles arrangement and/or softer/harder bristles can be used instead of the replaced one).

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the cleaning arm 2 may include cleaning means such as ultrasonic means as indicated by numeral 94 in Fig. 9, e.g., by using piezo-electric oscillator that is adapted to generate high frequency vibrations. The ultrasonic means can be controlled by the control unit 90. The vibration may cause at least some of the bristles to vibrate in a relatively high frequency, which in turn may cause the plaque to be removed (e.g., the frequency should be above 20 kHz). Alternatively, other cleaning means can also be used such as water jetting mechanism (not shown), or other mechanical solutions that can be used to apply the cleaning.

As can be easily seen in figure 2A, the bristles in each cleaning arm 2 are divided into two groups: a motion group and a cleaning group. The bristles of the motion group are deflected in one direction (i.e., in a first angle, e.g., 10 degrees) as to facilitate the movement of device 10 toward the desired direction along the teeth during the vibration activity of the bristles, while the bristles of the cleaning group are deflected in another direction (i.e., in second angle, e.g., 45 degrees) for cleaning the gum line. In other words, at least some of the bristles at the brush head assembly 4 may form a diagonal pattern (e.g., 10 degrees with respect to the direction of 'y') suitable for causing the self- movement of the device 10. As can also be easily seen in Figl, the other bristles are deflected (i.e., form a diagonal pattern) with respect to the lingual/buccal tooth surface (e.g., 45 degrees with respect to the lingual/buccal tooth surface) and thereby suitable for cleaning purpose. The diagonal pattern of the bristles in the cleaning group may facilitate the cleaning of the sides of the teeth and the gum line. It is well known that there are several types of toothbrush bristles that are designed to meet different needs. Therefore, for example, the bristles of the brush head assembly 4 (at least those of the cleaning group that are located at the lower section of brush head assembly 4) can be soft- or extra-soft for anyone who has sensitive teeth or gums, or is recovering from a dental procedure (as most dentists recommend). Also the device can have a pressure sensor to ensure that the bristles in the cleaning group do not cause damage to the gums and teeth. On the other hand, the bristles located at the top section of the brush head assembly 4 (i.e., the bristles of the motion group that comes in contact only with the top surface of the lingual/buccal tooth surface) can be much harder type of bristles than those at the lower section, if desired. The bristles at the top section of the brush head assembly 4 may have a less or no diagonal pattern than those at the lower section. The bristles located at the base portion 1 at the brush head assembly 6 (i.e., that comes in contact only with the top surface of the crown surface) can also be hard type of bristles, and they may be used to decrease the friction that can be generated when the user bites on device 1 during the movement of device 1 in the oral cavity of the user.

The control unit 90 may include a sensor module 92 that is adapted to detect plaque. The sensor module 92 may include at least one imaging element 8 (e.g., a camera) and at least one light source 9 (e.g., LED), thereby enabling to the detect plaque by a common dental diagnostic technique for in-vivo and in-vitro quantitative assessment of dental caries lesions, dental plaque, bacteria activity, calculus, staining, and tooth whitening such as Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence (QLF™) or as such. The cameras 8 may also be used to record the structure of each tooth in the oral cavity of the user thereby enabling to track the condition of each tooth and to improve the cleaning process by device 10. As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, an autonomous device such as device 10 can collect data much more accurately and effectively comparing to a manual device, such as an intra-oral camera (e.g., the wireless intraoral camera - Einstein Spark) that cannot monitor teeth condition continuously. For example, the light source configured to emit an excitation light, and a corresponding plaque detector can be configured to receive a return light beam from the teeth for generating a plaque identification signal.

The dental device of the present invention enables to perform tasks in an oral cavity during an autonomous movement on the teeth by applying an oral care treatment and/or monitoring the teeth and gum. For example, the tasks may include detecting the presence of a substance on a dental surface, such as the teeth and/or gums (e.g., to determine if the substance present on the dental surface is plaque), monitoring gum conditions, detecting early enamel lesions - because of the continues monitoring it is possible to detect mineral losses from the teeth (see B Angmar-MaEnsson and JJ ten Bosch, "Quantitative light-induced Fluorescence (QLF): a method for assessment of incipient caries lesions", Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (2001) 30, 298 - 307).

A docking station (not shown) can be used to charge the power source 94 (e.g., rechargeable batteries) of device 1, as well as to exchange data with device 1 via the communication module 95 either via a wired or wireless communication means (e.g., Bluetooth, USB or other type of I/O port, etc.).

Unless otherwise indicated, the functions of the control module 90 described hereinabove may be performed by executable code and instructions stored in computer readable medium and running on one or more processor-based systems such as controller 91. However, state machines, and/or hardwired electronic circuits can also be utilized. Further, with respect to the example processes described herein, not all the process states need to be reached, nor do the states have to be performed in the illustrated order. Further, certain process states that are illustrated as being serially performed can be performed in parallel.

Operation mode

All the above will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative example of an operation mode.

Initially, the device can be positioned at one end of the dental arch at the oral cavity of the user. The device detects independently that it is in the right initial place and starts its cleaning and traveling operations. The operation includes movement along the teeth when the movement is carried out while cleaning the surface of the teeth, the spaces between the teeth and under the gums, it may apply other oral care treatments (e.g., perform a massage to the gums in order to increase blood flow). In such a single U-shape embodiment, the device travels and cleans one jaw at a time (e.g., first the lower jaw and after the upper jaw). In dual "back-to- back" U-shape embodiment, the device travels and cleans both upper and lower teeth at the same time.

The autonomous movement of the dental device may be controlled (e.g., by the control unit 90), so that when the device detects plaque at a specific tooth, it may slow down or stop for applying a significant cleansing effect to this specific tooth. The dental device of the present invention can be programed to accelerate, slow down or increase/decrease the cleansing effect depending on the detected plaque with respect to each individual tooth, as well as be programmed to work according to a variety of possible operation modes. At the end of the cleaning, the device may stop automatically, and then the user needs to remove the device from the cleaned jaw, turn it and put it on top of the second jaw (in dual U-shape embodiment the teeth on both upper and lower jaws could be cleaned simultaneously). As a final operation, the user may place the device at the docking station, where it is cleansed and disinfected and may also be charged for the next use. During operation, the user may need to apply a slight force by the second jaw to hold the device in place.

In some embodiment, the device can be used to collect information on the level of plaque on teeth and in accordance with the set cleaning time and determine the level of cleanup required, so cleaning will be optimized in time and quality. In addition, the device may also collect information regarding various parameters of each tooth, monitor the state of the teeth, map the teeth and may communicate the collected information to the docking station or other device. The device enables to provide the user (e.g., via the docking station) an update on problems that require treatment by a dentist or cleaning difficulty alerts. The device can be directly linked to the user's dentist and update him about the need for an appointment for treatment and provide it with continuous information on the state of the mouth. A computer system that is adapted to receive information from the device may perform dental-related statistical analysis of data collected from users who allow it.

As will be appreciated by the skilled person the arrangement described in the figures results in a dental device that may function as an autonomous unit for applying oral care treatment (e.g., cleaning one or more of the teeth, the interdental or the gingival areas), and/or for monitoring the conditions of the teeth and gum, in particular while performing an autonomous and automatic movement on the teeth. For example, the device can be applied as an autonomous intra-oral cleaning device for the teeth and gum of a user while traveling on the teeth. An assembly such as this may be adequate for twin cooperative goals of efficaciously brushing the occlusal and lingual-buccal surfaces of the teeth and gums (including gaps between such surfaces and/or between the teeth and gums) while also simultaneously brushing the aforementioned surfaces and also the underlying gums. An aspect hereof may thus be the provision of an improved powered robotic toothbrush for simultaneously efficaciously brushing the occlusal and the lingual buccal surfaces including any gaps there between while simultaneously beneficially brushing the teeth surfaces and also the underlying teeth/gums, the latter benefit representing therapeutically prevention of periodontal problems.

This action of the bristles as a result of the vibratory impetus, briefly described above, may result in beneficial oscillatory effects of bristles themselves. It should be understood, however, that while there may be significant advantages of the toothbrush of the present developments in its cleansing effects, the toothbrush is capable of scrubbing action, which contact the dental plaque.

The terms, "for example", "e.g.", "optionally", as used herein, are intended to be used to introduce non-limiting examples. While certain references are made to certain example system components, other components can be used as well and/or the example components can be combined into fewer components and/or divided into further components.

All the above description and examples have been given for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. Many different traveling mechanisms, methods of plaque detection, electronic and logical elements can be employed, all without exceeding the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A self-propelled dental device, comprising:

a) a body portion having an inner surface formed to cover the top and sides surfaces of at least part of a tooth located at one of the jaws; and

b) at least one control unit disposed within the body portion for enabling an autonomous movement of said body portion on the teeth, while applying an oral care treatment and/or while monitoring the teeth and gum.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the inner surface include a brush assembly adapted to contact the tooth.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which the movement of the body portion is enabled by a motor adapted to vibrate an array of bristles located on the brush assembly.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which the autonomous movement of the body portion is enabled by a traction mechanism that applies the force required to move said body portion on the teeth.

5. A device according to claim 1, in which the autonomous movement of the body portion is enabled by activating electroactive polymers to generate a crawling movement.

6. A device according to claim 1, in which the movement of the body portion is enabled by motion energy produced by the tongue and jaws.

7. A device according to claim 2, in which the brush assembly includes one group of bristles for cleaning the teeth and one group of bristles for facilitating the movement of the body portion on the teeth.

8. A device according to claim 1, in which the body portion having a U- shape profile which is formed by a base portion and two cleaning arms that extend from both ends of the base portion, while the distal ends of both arms creates an adaptive gap.

9. A device according to claim 8, in which the adaptive gap is enabled by a flexible connection between each arm and the base portion.

10. A device according to claim 8, in which each cleaning arm includes a brush assembly configured to contact the teeth during the autonomous movement.

11. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a dispensing arrangement disposed within the body portion for enabling to dispense an oral product in form of liquid or paste.

12. A device according to claim 11, in which the dispensing arrangement includes a compartment adapted to receive a capsule containing the oral product,

13. A device according to claim 1, in which the body portion having an additional inner surface formed to cover the top and sides surfaces of at least part of a tooth located at the corresponding other jaw, thereby enabling to apply an oral care treatment and/or to monitor the teeth and gum at the upper and lower jaws simultaneously.

14. A device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for enabling to monitor the condition of one or more teeth during the autonomous movement of the body portion on the teeth.

15. A device according to claim 1, further comprising plaque detection means for detecting plaque during the monitoring of the teeth and gums.

16. A device according to claim 15, in which the plaque detection means disposed within the inner surface of the body portion.

17. A device according to claim 1, in which the control unit controls the autonomous movement of the body portion in terms of acceleration, deceleration, or increase/decrease a cleansing effect according to the monitoring.

18. A device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pressure sensor for enabling to detect the intensity the inner surface of the body portion contacts the teeth or gum.

19. A device according to claim 1, in which the monitoring enable to map the teeth.

20. A method for performing tasks in an oral cavity during an autonomous movement on the teeth, comprising:

a) providing the self-propelled dental device of claim 1; and b) during the movement of said dental device on said teeth applying an oral care treatment and/or monitoring the teeth and gum.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the tasks includes detecting the presence of a substance on a dental surface, such as the teeth and/or gums.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the detection determines if the substance present on the dental surface is plaque.

23. The method according to claim 20, further comprising providing an excitation light; receiving a return light beam from the teeth; and generating a plaque identification signal from the return light beam.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the tasks includes detecting early enamel lesions, as due to a continues monitoring task it is possible to detect mineral losses from the teeth.

25. The method according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the tasks includes monitoring gum conditions.