Abstract
A novel method to remove dental plaque from teeth, as an alternative to conventional tooth-brushing methods, is proposed. The method is based on ultrasound cleaning, coupled with the use of bubbly water which contains numerous microbubbles. In order to clarify conditions required for the removal of dental plaque, observation of cavitation and pressure fluctuation measurements are performed for degassed water exposed to ultrasound. Cleaning tests with degassed water and bubbly water are performed. For the latter, cleaning tests are made by flowing bubbly water into a narrow gap between an ultrasound transducer and the bottom surface of a shallow water vessel. The results suggest that the performance of dental plaque removal can be significantly improved by utilizing bubbly water instead of degasses water.
