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EP-4401672-B1 - ORAL APPLIANCE FOR TREATING A MOUTH OF A SUBJECT

EP4401672B1EP 4401672 B1EP4401672 B1EP 4401672B1EP-4401672-B1

Inventors

  • GERHARDT, Lutz Christian

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220829

Claims (13)

  1. An oral appliance (700, 1000) for cleaning and/or treating a mouth of a subject, the oral appliance comprising: a cleaning or treatment module (500) comprising: one or more mounts being formed of a deformable material, each mount comprising one or more holes (110) positioned such that, when the mount is stretched in a first direction (120), the geometric shape of the mount is shifted so as to increase an amount of material that extends in at least one second, different direction (125); and for each mount, a set of one or more cleaning or treatment elements (520) mounted on said mount for cleaning or treating one or more parts of a mouth; and an actuation mechanism (710, 1030) configured to controllably stretch each mount in the first direction, characterised in that the actuation mechanism comprises an electro-magnetic control system configured to control the stretching of the mount using electro-magnetic force.
  2. The oral appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more holes of each mount are positioned such that, when the mount is stretched in the first direction, the curvature or flatness of the mount in a first plane (130) changes, wherein the first plane is angled with respect to first direction.
  3. The oral appliance of claim 2, wherein the first direction is normal to the first plane.
  4. The oral appliance of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein each mount is configured to be deformable between at least: a first configuration (190), in which a radius (196) of the curvature of the mount in the first plane is at a first value; and a second configuration (195), in which the radius of the curvature of the mount in the first plane is at a second value, smaller than the first value, wherein the deforming between the first and second configurations is responsive to a stretching of the mount in the first direction.
  5. The oral appliance of claim 4, wherein the stretching causes a change in length of the mount in the first direction.
  6. The oral appliance of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one or more holes of each mount comprise two or more slits, which are aligned in parallel with each other and separated by a predetermined length.
  7. The oral appliance of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein each hole of each mount is completely surrounded by deformable material of the mount.
  8. The oral appliance of any of claims 1 to 7, comprising a mount array (600, 1021, 1022) comprising two or more of the mounts.
  9. The oral appliance of any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a controller (720) configured to control the operation of the actuation mechanism, to thereby control the geometric shape shift of each mount.
  10. The oral appliance of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to be operable in a cleaning mode, during which the controller controls the geometric shape of the mount such that the extent of material in the first and/or second direction is greater than a minimum magnitude.
  11. The oral appliance of claim 10, wherein, when operating in the cleaning mode, the controller varies the geometric shape of each mount so that the mount performs micromotions or vibrates.
  12. The oral appliance of any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the controller is configured to be operable in a mouth-insertion mode or mouth-removal mode, during which the control controls the geometric shape of each mount such that the mount is substantially flat or is deformed to its maximum curvature.
  13. The oral appliance (1000) of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the actuation mechanism comprises: a motorized system (1033) configured to controllably stretch the mount in the first direction; an inflatable bladder fixed to either end of the mount, and a fluid control system configured to control the entry and exit of fluid into the inflatable bladder to thereby control a stretching of the mount; a magnetic control system configured to control the stretching of the mount using a magnetic; an electric control system configured to control the stretching of the mount using one or more materials exhibiting an electroactive responsive material property; a thermal control system configured to control the stretching of the mount using one or more temperature difference and/or gradient effects; and/or an optical control system configured to control the stretching of the mount using one or more electromagnetic waves, wherein the mount is photo-sensitive.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The current disclosure relates to dental health, and in particular, to the field of oral appliances. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The development and improvement of oral appliances is of increasing interest to the general population, as good oral hygiene reduces the likelihood of adverse dental conditions (such as caries, gingivitis, and periodontal disease) and systemic conditions (e.g. pre-diabetes) from occurring. Generally, oral appliances comprise a cleaning/treatment module that a user or operator inserts into the mouth. The module comprises mechanical cleaning/treatment elements, such as brushes, bristles, or water jet elements, which clean and/or treat parts of the mouth, such as the teeth or gums, as the oral appliance is moved about the mouth. An ongoing concern with oral appliances is that they are usually tailored for a general population. This means that a particular oral appliance (even if operated in an identical manner) will have varying levels of efficacy depending upon the geometry of the mouth of a subject, which can vary significantly from subject to subject. For instance, different mouth geometries may have differences in tooth size, tooth height, tooth width, jaw curvature, jaw (mis)alignments and jaw archetype(s). There is therefore a desire to facilitate the provision of an oral appliance that is able to compensate for the variations between different mouth geometry in order to optimize dental cleaning or treatment outcomes. US 2020/121428 A1 discloses a dental care device with a customized shape and customized cleaning tips. WO 2004/039208 A1 disclsoes a toothbrush with soft fingers mounted on the toothbrush head. During use of the toothbrush the fingers move laterally relative to the axis of the toothbrush thereby improving the tooth cleaning and gum massaging performance of the toothbrush. WO 2020/017963 A2 discloses a recess wall lined with bristles for a mouthpiece for simultaneously brushing at a plurality of dental positions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is defined by the claims. According to examples in accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a mount of an oral appliance. The mount may be designed for one or more cleaning/treatment elements of the oral appliance, but may be otherwise used as a protective shield or retaining device for parts of the mouth. The mount is formed of a deformable material and comprises: one or more holes positioned such that, when the mount is stretched in a first direction, the geometric shape of the mount is shifted so as to increase an amount of material that extends in at least one second, different direction. Proposed embodiments make use of holes or pre-cut tessellation patterns in a deformable/flexible mount to control or define the change in the geometric shape of the mount when it is stretched. In particular, when a force is applied to a mount with appropriately positioned and configured holes, the mount will deform so as to extend material in a direction different to the direction of the stretch. The holes are positioned such that increased stretching of the mount in the first direction results in increased extension of material of the mount in the second direction. Embodiments thereby provide an approach that controls a movement of the mount and (if present) any cleaning/treatment elements positioned on the mount, e.g. allowing the mount or any elements to completely surround a tooth. The proposed approach thereby provides a highly adaptable mount that can conform to any arbitrary shape for a subject's mouth/jaw shape. As the shape of the mount is responsive to stretching in a first direction, relatively simple actuation of the mount can be provided. The ability of the mount to (controllably) bend is also advantageous for ease and comfort of positioning and using the mount in the mouth. Embodiments operate on the principle of kirigami, in which appropriately positioned cuts or holes define the geometry of bending performed by a structure containing the cuts/holes. In other words, the configuration of a structure that has undergone deformation is dependent upon the position of holes in the non-deformed structures. The first and second directions are angled with respect to one another, and are preferably perpendicular to one another. The change or shift in geometric shape is characterized by the dimensions and geometry of the mount and its holes (e.g. rectangular slits, triangular cuts), the spacing between the holes as well as the (cylindrical) curvature of the mount in an undeformed state (a single principal curvature). The cylindrical curvature with a finite, arbitrary magnitude triggers or controls the mount to warp into a cylindrical 3D metasurface geometry upon stretching. The eventual effect or result of this shape shift is improved conformation of the mount to the tooth/jaw arch, and clamping, i.e., application of (lateral) forces to the tooth arch. The mount is formed from a fle