Sonicare

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Sonicare is the brand name of an electric toothbrush produced by Philips.

History

In 1987, David Giuliani, an entrepreneur with a background in electrical engineering, met with University of Washington professors Drs. David Engel and Roy Martin. They formed a new company named GEMTech to promote a dental hygiene device using a piezoelectric multimorph transducer. After several years of research and creating prototypes, the Sonicare toothbrush was introduced in 1992.[1]

In 1995, GEMTech changed its name to Optiva Corporation.[1] The company was originally headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, and moved to Snoqualmie, Washington, in 1999. The Script error: No such module "convert". plant in Snoqualmie was later supplemented by an additional facility in Auburn, Washington.[2] In October 2000, Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care, a division of Philips, acquired the company. A few months later Optiva Corporation changed its name to Philips Oral Healthcare, Inc. By the end of 2001, Sonicare had become the number-one selling rechargeable power toothbrush in the United States.[3] In 2003, to improve Philips brand recognition in the US, Philips rebranded the Sonicare toothbrush as "Philips Sonicare".

Product and technology

File:Phillips Sonicare 5100 with black brushing head.jpg
A Philips Sonicare 5100. This model has 2 cleaning modes

The brush head vibrates at hundreds of times per second, with the latest models at 31,000 strokes per minute (517 Hz) or 62,000 movements per minute[4] (1033 Hz). Rather than connecting to its charger with conductors, it uses inductive charging—the charger includes the primary winding of the voltage-reducing transformer and the handle of the brush includes the secondary winding. The replaceable head is also driven magnetically. Currently, there are multiple types of Sonicare brushes.

Effectiveness

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Based on 10 relevant studies, a 2014 Cochrane review concluded that electric toothbrushes with side-to-side lateral motion, including Sonicare brushes, were similarly effective as manual toothbrushes in reducing dental plaque and gingivitis.[5] A 2004 review found that the Oral-B toothbrush with oscillating rotating motion removed plaque more thoroughly than Sonicare toothbrushes; the review also identified that the laboratory studies demonstrating the plaque elimination effect of the Sonicare toothbrush's "dynamic fluid activity" were not replicated in well-controlled clinical studies.[6]

See also

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References

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