Brushing Away Hurdles
Ever wondered how astronauts brush their teeth? Often, they end up swallowing their toothpaste, just like children and persons with special care needs, which can harm overall health. Rutgers School of Dental Medicine Associate Professor of Diagnostic Sciences Maxine Strickland has a healthier solution for all: MaxVac.
MaxVac is an innovative powered toothbrush created by Strickland. Unlike a regular brush, it has both brushing and suctioning capabilities, enabling the removal of liquids from the mouth. This is especially important for special needs patients as they might continuously ingest microorganisms during brushing that may lead to health issues such as pneumonia.
“[MaxVac] removes potentially harmful and infectious materials … and thereby can be very useful for the elderly and disabled, in nursing or hospital settings, in dental clinics, for young children, and routine home use,” said Rutgers Office for Research Senior Manager of Technology Marketing and Business Development Eusebio Pires and Licensing Manager Ryan Escolin in a joint statement.
This toothbrush was a passion project with roots in the early years of Strickland’s career when she worked in a pediatric dentistry office and later assisted in setting up a clinic for disabled patients as a faculty at UMDNJ/Rutgers. “That was the beginning of my experience with thinking about this type of intervention because many of the patients had swallowing difficulties,” she said, adding that many dentists used suction with brushing while brushing in the clinic. Why not combine these two in one piece of equipment, she years later thought. With a Rutgers TechAdvance grant, she converted her idea into a handheld product with the help of engineers.
The first version of MaxVac was a snap-on to an existing toothbrush, which had a recent patent issued this May 2024. The second version was developed with a National Science Foundation grant because a more advanced, stand-alone powered toothbrush with specific capabilities of removing liquids from the mouth. While the patent for that is still pending, she gathered patient feedback, leading her to versions three and four, which are smaller and easier to hold.
“Honestly, I had never really thought about being an inventor,” said Strickland. “It’s been a nice, exciting venture trying to reduce some of the anxiety and give dignity to the patients.”
She plans to have the brushes first used in a hospital for neurologically impaired patients in 2026. Following that, she hopes to collaborate with a hospital, where patients with spinal cord injuries will try MaxVac. Her ultimate goal is to see MaxVac widely accessible in all stores alongside other dental products and also possibly in backpacks of hikers and spacecrafts of astronauts.
“It was exciting to think about these applications,” she said. “As a dentist, it’s encouraging and inspiring that this product can make a difference, and I’m hoping various populations can use it."
