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Project developed by the Central Navy Dental Clinic aims to transform a difficult-to-follow guideline into a simple daily alert
A toothbrush created by the Brazilian Navy promises to tackle a common and silent oral health problem: excessive force during brushing. The technology is designed to issue alerts when the user exceeds the limit considered safe for teeth and gums.
The innovation is still in the final phase of functional prototype development but has already been registered with the National Institute of Industrial Property. The proposal is to offer a more accessible alternative to electric toothbrushes with pressure sensors, using a simplified and low-cost mechanical system.
The idea was born within the Central Navy Dental Clinic, the OCM, after identifying recurring cases of dental wear near the gum and gum recession among treated patients. The goal is to transform a recommendation made in the office into a practical, visible, audible, or vibratory warning.
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The project draws attention because it changes an apparently simple habit, but one that many people perform incorrectly. Brushing with force does not mean brushing better, and in some cases, it can contribute to sensitivity, root exposure, and cumulative damage.
Navy technology seeks to control brushing force before damage appears
According to the Navy News Agency, the innovative toothbrush was developed by the OCM’s Innovation and Technology Advisory. The project is coordinated by Navy Commander dentist Teresa Cristina Pereira de Oliveira and Corvette Captain dentist Rafael Matheus Lima, with the idea conceived by Temporary First Lieutenant dentist Humberto Jácome Santos.
The proposal arose from observations made in clinical dental practice. The team identified a significant prevalence of non-carious cervical lesions, which are wear on the tooth structure near the gum, and non-inflammatory gum recessions, characterized by gum retraction without a direct relation to inflammation.
These changes have a multifactorial cause, meaning they do not depend on just one factor. However, improper brushing, especially when done with excessive force, appears as one of the elements associated with the problem.
The toothbrush’s differential is in its signaling mechanism. When the pressure exceeds the limit defined as safe, the device can alert the user through a sound, light, or vibratory alert, helping to correct the movement in real-time.
The problem is not just with the brush, but with the misleading sensation of cleanliness
Many people believe that scrubbing harder removes plaque better. This perception, according to oral health specialists, can be misleading because plaque does not require aggressiveness to be removed when brushing is done with the proper technique.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, brushing should be done with gentle pressure, soft bristles, and attention to the angle of the brush at the gum line. The institution warns that hard bristles can wear down enamel and gum tissue, contributing to gum recession and a higher risk of sensitivity.
This point helps explain why a brush with an alert can have practical utility. In the office, the dentist can guide the patient, but at home, force control depends almost entirely on individual perception.
The problem is that this perception fails easily. In busy routines, children, teenagers, and adults may repeat aggressive movements without realizing they are pressing too hard on their teeth and gums.
The Navy’s technology tries to fill this very gap. Instead of waiting for the damage to appear, the prototype tries to warn at the moment the inadequate habit occurs.
Initial limit of about 2 Newtons helps to transform force into measurable data
The initial parameter adopted by Navy researchers was approximately 2 Newtons of force. This value is used as a reference in laboratory studies on oral hygiene and was chosen as a limit to guide the mechanism’s response.
A review published in 2025 in the journal Healthcare, by MDPI, points out that excessive brushing forces and incorrect techniques may be linked to cervical abrasions, gum recession, and dentin hypersensitivity. The work also highlights that controlling the applied force is not simple, as many people do not monitor this pressure during their routine.
In practice, when the user exceeds the defined limit, the brush signals that it’s time to reduce the intensity. This immediate feedback can function as a kind of habit training, especially for children and patients who need to relearn the brushing technique.
Commander Teresa Cristina explained in the Navy publication that the alerts can favor the learning of an adequate brushing pattern. The project uses the logic of immediate feedback, where the object itself teaches the user to adjust their behavior.
This detail is important because the brush does not promise to replace the dentist or solve oral problems on its own. It acts as a support tool to make oral hygiene safer, more predictable, and educational.
Mechanical brush attempts to lower the cost of a feature already seen in electric models
Electric brushes with pressure sensors already exist in the market, but the price often limits access. The Navy’s bet is to develop a solution based on a simplified functional mechanical system, with lower-cost raw materials.
This difference addresses a common criticism made by consumers: the technology might be interesting, but it needs to be affordable for the population. The prototype’s proposal is precisely to democratize a benefit that is currently more present in higher-value electronic products.
The project also envisions a structure for prolonged use. Instead of frequently discarding the entire brush, the user would periodically replace only the head with bristles, like a refill, reducing material waste.
Another relevant point is inclusion. The combination of light, sound, and vibration alerts can help people with visual or hearing impairments, provided that the final product preserves this proposal during the manufacturing process.
Registration with INPI and partnerships indicate that the project still depends on licensing
The technology has already been registered with INPI and is in the final stage of developing a functional prototype. This means it is not yet a product available in pharmacies or supermarkets, but an innovation with an open path for future commercial partnerships.
The project has the support of the Technological Center of the Marine Corps, responsible for technical-laboratory support in 3D printing. There is also financial support from the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro, FAPERJ.
After the prototype is completed, the technology should be made available on the OCM website, through its Technological Innovation Center. The intention is to allow companies in the dental sector to participate in a licensing process for production and commercialization.
Clinical and laboratory studies are also planned in partnership with researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and the Piracicaba Dental School at Unicamp. This stage will be essential to evaluate performance, durability, user acceptance, and real impact on damage prevention.
Preventive oral health gains strength amid the high cost of treatment
According to the World Health Organization, oral diseases are among the most common health problems on the planet and affect nearly 3.7 billion people. WHO also highlights that many conditions are preventable and treatable in the early stages, but access to oral health services is still unequal in several countries.
In this scenario, simple prevention tools can gain relevance. A brush that alerts when the force exceeds the limit might seem like a detail, but the impact lies precisely in a habit repeated every day, for years.
The International Dental Federation also considers brushing as one of the most direct preventive measures against oral diseases. The challenge, however, is not just to brush, but to brush with the proper technique, frequency, and pressure.
Therefore, the innovation from Marinha should be approached with caution and expectation. The potential is significant, but the promise of an affordable price can only be confirmed when there is production, licensing, and actual arrival on the market.
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