The New Paradigm in Oral Hygiene By Trisha O’Hehir, RDH, BS
Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

A new innovation in mechanical toothbrushes has entered into the oral hygiene market from Oralbotic Research, Inc. Called the HydraBrush, this toothbrush is designed to perform in a patient’s mouth much like the automatic carwash has for your car. I phoned Ken Hegemann, mechanical engineer and president of Oralbotic Research to ask him about this new invention and to see what he has planned for the future of oral hygiene care.

HT: Ken, this is an amazing toothbrush, unlike anything we’ve seen before! People have said it works like an automatic “carwash” for the mouth and definitely doesn’t look like a typical toothbrush. I imagine you’ve run into some resistance from the profession since it isn’t the conventional “stick with bristles.”

Ken: That’s absolutely right, Trisha! Hygienists and dentists willing to “think outside the box” find the HydraBrush a perfect solution to the dual challenge of human error inherent in performing oral hygiene and patient compliance with daily oral care. This new concept represents a paradigm shift. The HydraBrush design uses the teeth to hold the bristles in the right place, unlike conventional brushes that require the user to properly place the brush and move it around the mouth. The HydraBrush gives everyone the same advantage––proper placement every time.

HT: You’re background is mechanical engineering. How did you get involved in the oral hygiene business?

Ken: In 1986, I was diagnosed with periodontitis and told by my dentist if I brushed my teeth for five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening everything would be just fine. The dentist explained to me that 80% of the population had periodontal disease because they were unable to effectively remove the plaque from their teeth each day. In essence, the problem was human error with tooth brushing and interdental cleaning.

I decided this was an opportunity to make a machine that would eliminate human error in toothbrushing. At that time, I focused my efforts on a new toothbrush design that resulted in a double, rotating, round-head brush to clean the upper, lower, inside, and outside surfaces of the teeth all at once. A patent had been issued to another gentleman on that basic concept. His design, however, was too large to fit comfortably into one’s mouth. I developed a version of the concept that made it significantly smaller and received a utility patent on the improved concept. In 1989 I licensed use of the patent to Oralgiene, who now manufacturers the 60 Second Time Machine for kids. It’s the bite-into brush with rotating round heads and a clear handle showing the workings of the brush. This design has been available since 1991.

The next idea was a robotic system, programmed to fit each user’s mouth. The idea was a full-mouth, bite-into, toothbrushing system custom programmed to cleanse all the nooks and crannies of the mouth, taking away any possibility for human error.

HT: That explains the name of your company, Oralbotic.

Ken: Yes, “botic” represents the robotics I was working with and, of course, “oral” for the mouth.

HT: What happened to the robotic system, I like that idea.

Ken: We invested time, money and energy into that project for 18 months before accepting the fact that the robotic system I really want will be too expensive for the general public.

HT: That wasn’t the end of your toothbrush ideas, was it?

Ken: No, it wasn’t. With the support of a core group of investors, I continued on my quest for an oral hygiene system that removed all possibility for human error. I tested various bristle lengths, angles and pressures, finally coming up with the HydraBrush design, composed of eight brushing surfaces working in combination with an oral irrigation system.

HT: Why did you pick the name HydraBrush?

Ken: I picked “hydra” for two reasons. The word “hydra” comes from Greek mythology and means “multiheaded.” “Hydra” also relates to water. Both of these meanings fit the HydraBrush since it is a brush with several heads and incorporates irrigation.

HT: How does the HydraBrush work?

Ken: The key is short/quick back and forth, non-circular movements of the brush heads, to more precisely mimic the Bass brushing technique. The brush heads move at 810 strokes per minute. Other brushes use movements of 4,000 to 30,000 RPM, but we found that efficiency was lost at those speeds. In our tests, as we reduced speed, efficiency increased. When we reached 800 strokes per minute, the efficiency began to decrease, so we settled on 810 strokes per minute as the optimum rate of bristle movement for the HydraBrush. With this rate of movement, the bristles have time to penetrate the interproximal areas and the tips of the bristles can create the friction necessary to remove the bacterial biofilm.

HT: Is there more than one HydraBrush?

Ken: Yes, we currently have two products, the HydraBrush ULTRA which includes irrigation and the HydraBrush EXPRESS without irrigation. We have a variety of brush heads, both ultrasoft and standard, to fit children and adults.

HT: What products are you working on now?

Ken: I’m very excited about our new products, which will be a series of “wetheads” for the HydraBrush that will combine the portability of the EXPRESS with the irrigation feature of the ULTRA. The new heads I’m working on will have a retractable hose that connects to a reservoir for oral irrigation combined with brushing. The units will be smaller and more compact. I’m also working on dentifrice compounds and antimicrobials that can be introduced directly into the system through the “wethead” brush designs.

HT: What drives you to continue your quest for a better toothbrush?

Ken: When my dentist told me my periodontal disease was due to human error associated with daily oral hygiene, I saw an opportunity to make a difference, not just for myself, but for a huge segment of the population. Finding a solution to gum disease became a personal passion. Removing human error from the job of daily plaque removal will help so many people, not just to have better oral hygiene, but to have better general health. My goal is better overall health through better oral health. Removing human error from brushing and irrigating is my way to do just that.

HT: How does the HydraBrush help hygienists?

Ken: I’m glad you asked that. HydraBrush provides an ideal bridge between professional care and what people do at home each day to maintain oral health. I want my product to help hygienists see the fruits of their labors. Too many times the hard work of the hygienist, both instrumentation and oral hygiene instruction, is lost when the patient goes home and uses the traditional single headed brush, whether automated or manual. Those products require instruction for proper use, instructions that are seldom followed. People think they’re doing a good job, when they really aren’t. The HydraBrush protects the work of the hygienist by predictably removing plaque with each use. Also, all the other powered toothbrushes on the market call for two minutes of brushing. Research has shown us that few patients actually brush more than 30-40 seconds. Why not have them get the most out of those 40 seconds of brushing. When they bite into the HydraBrush, the bristles automatically line up with the teeth on both arches. Simply moving the brush head around the mouth ensures that the bristles reach all the surfaces, and with the HydraBrush Ultra, the waterjets irrigate the subgingival and interproximal areas at the same time. Trisha, it’s really just simple mathematics. HydraBrush has eight microbrushes working simultaneously for 40 seconds. That’s equivalent to over five minutes of vigorous brushing with any single-headed brush. The bottom line is, I want patients to return to see the hygienist with healthy teeth and gums. Hygienists shouldn’t have to work around bleeding gums at every visit. I want to make their work last longer. I want them to be appreciated by their patients. And I believe HydraBrush helps make that happen.

HT: How big is your company?

Ken: Oralbotic Reseach, Inc. employees 23 people and has an advisory board of eight professionals from dentistry, business, public relations, advertising and education.

HT: What’s the single most important decision in your company’s history?

Ken: That would be our decision in 2002 to fund university research on our product. We invested in science, knowing the importance of evidence-based research to support our claims. Researchers at the University of Tennessee compared the HydraBrush to the powerbrush market leaders, Sonicare and Braun Oral-B. The advisory board was hesitant, suggesting an in-house study instead, but I was confident of the engineering and craftsmanship of our prototypes and was willing to go up against the leaders in the field. I asked the advisory board to “trust the engineer on this one.” That gamble paid off. The 12-week Tennessee study demonstrated superiority of the HydraBrush over both the Braun Oral-B and the Sonicare for several parameters. These findings were very exciting.

HT: I just saw an abstract presented at the International Association for Dental Research meeting in Baltimore, presented by Dr. Connie Drisko. Tell me about that study.

Ken: This study evaluated the effectiveness of the HydraBrush ULTRA to deliver a solution to the base of 5 to 6 mm pockets, as compared to rinsing following conventional power brushing. The Medical College of Georgia research team felt the combination of brushing and irrigating helps to achieve better penetration of the solution. Again, the results are very exciting.

HT: It’s difficult to break into the dental market with an entirely new concept in toothbrushing. Are people taking notice?

Ken: The HydraBrush is being noticed by more than the dental profession. March 16, 2005 we received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan award as the oral and dental care product of the year. Frost & Sullivan had many products to choose from, so this was a big deal. It was like the Academy Awards for us. Exciting, thrilling, and affirming. We are obviously pleased that HydraBrush has proven to be a very effective and well-accepted product. After people try it, they tell us they won’t go back to their conventional manual or power brush.

HT: You started this quest for a machine to eliminate human error in toothbrushing so people could prevent periodontal disease. How is your oral health 19 years later?

Ken: I was just in to see my hygienist and the report couldn’t be better. No bleeding and no periodontal infection. With the excellent skills of my hygienist and the HydraBrush, I have excellent oral health as well as general health.

HT: Thank you Ken, for your time and insights on the HydraBrush. Your products are definitely filling the need for a predictable and consistently effective oral hygiene system. If you ever get the oral hygiene robot ready for market, let me know!

For more information on the HydraBrush or any of Oralbotic Research Inc.’s products, please contact them at:
701 S. Andreasen Dr., Suite C
Escondido, CA 92029
PH: (888) 813-6631
E-mail:bob@hydrabrush.com
European contact number in Belgium:
32 (0)9 321 70 80