Peking University researchers created a toothbrush whose bristles generate an electrical charge during brushing, producing reactive oxygen molecules that damage bacterial cell membranes.
Researchers at Peking University in Beijing have developed a toothbrush in which bacteria are destroyed not only by mechanical friction, but also through an electrical charge that is generated by brushing. The work was published in Science Advances on 4 November 2026.
The researchers made the bristles from polyvinylidene fluoride, a polymer that they stretched and heated to obtain a piezoelectric form. Piezoelectric materials generate a charge when deformed. When used to scrub teeth, the bending bristles release charges that create highly reactive forms of oxygen in nearby saliva. These molecules damage the cell membranes of bacteria in the plaque, say the researchers. When the bristles relax, the material reabsorbs the charges.
The researchers showed that the brush did not damage the surface of the teeth and was not toxic to human cells. They did not look at long-term safety or cost.
Frank Scannapieco, a periodontist at the University at Buffalo in New York, described generating electricity through brushing as a “new twist on an old concept.” He said it might reduce plaque more efficiently than conventional manual toothbrushes, although more tests are needed to prove efficacy and safety.
Bristled toothbrushes — which humans have used in various forms since the tenth century AD — rely mainly on motion to manually disrupt plaque, the film of bacteria, saliva and food particles that forms around teeth. The history of the manual toothbrush has been traced back to the tenth-century Tang Dynasty in China.
The researchers say the work could give the manual toothbrush its first radical redesign in more than 1,000 years. However, the Nature article notes that more tests are needed to prove efficacy and safety, and the researchers did not examine long-term safety or cost.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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