
Ultrasonic toothbrush can be used to detonate ‘microbombs’ in toothpaste
Vesna Andjic/iStockphoto/Getty Images
Bacteria that cause tooth decay could be removed by microscopic “bombs” detonated with an ultrasonic toothbrush.
Ultrasound can cause certain liquids, such as perfluorohexane (PFH), to expand rapidly and turn into a gas. Some researchers have explored the use of tiny degradable capsules containing these liquids to deliver drugs inside the body or to eliminate cancerous tumors.
NOW, Xian-Zheng Zhang at Wuhan University in China and colleagues have developed capsules containing PFH designed to destroy biofilms – aggregations of microbes…