An instrument for measuring toothbrushing force using PIC microcontroller technology

This paper presents the design of a novel instrument for measuring toothbrushing force applied through the bristle axis using an off-the-shelf hollow-handled toothbrush. Dental clinicians require to provide toothbrushing instruction to their patients and to advise them to avoid brushing forces that damage the teeth. This instrument enables brushing forces to be measured accurately. Digitised force measurements are captured by a miniature microcontroller and transmitted to a graphics display using a 418 MHz radio transmitter. The adoption of modern microelectronic manufacturing has allowed the toothbrush electronics and power supply to be integrated into the brush handle so that clinical protocols may be conducted unimpeded by the measurement apparatus. A PC computer provides an online display of the force-time measurements during toothbrushing. The signal trace is then analysed to extract clinically relevant measurements which can be integrated into an electronic patient records system