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2026 年 11 月初，北京大学团队在《科学进展》报告一种无需电池的手动牙刷：压电聚合物刷毛在弯曲时产生电荷，可能促使唾液中形成活性氧并损伤有害口腔细菌。实验室与约三个月的人体对照显示，斑块与牙龈炎症指标改善幅度大于普通尼龙刷。阅读时可留意 bacteria、bristle、charge、friction、nylon、trial、safety 等词，并区分“早期研究证据”与“长期疗效尚未充分证明”。

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For more than a thousand years, the manual toothbrush has mainly cleaned teeth through friction. In early November 2026, researchers at Peking University reported a different approach in Science Advances. Their battery-free brush uses special plastic bristles that create an electrical charge when they bend. Nature and New Scientist covered the finding on November 4, saying the design may damage harmful oral bacteria while people brush as usual.

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一千多年来，手动牙刷主要靠摩擦清洁牙齿。2026年11月初，北京大学研究者在《科学进展》报告了一种不同做法。他们的无电池牙刷使用特殊塑料刷毛，弯曲时会产生电荷。《自然》与《新科学家》于11月4日报道了这一发现，称该设计可能在人们照常刷牙时损伤有害口腔细菌。

The bristles are made from a polymer that the team stretched and heated into a piezoelectric form. That means the material generates a charge when it is pressed or bent. During brushing, the moving bristles release charges into nearby saliva. Those charges help form highly reactive forms of oxygen, which can damage bacterial cell membranes. When the bristles relax, the material takes the charges back, ready for the next stroke.

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刷毛由一种聚合物制成，研究团队将其拉伸并加热，得到压电形态。这意味着材料在受压或弯曲时会产生电荷。刷牙时，运动中的刷毛把电荷释放到附近的唾液中。这些电荷有助于形成高活性氧，进而可能损伤细菌细胞膜。刷毛回弹时，材料把电荷收回，准备下一次刷动。

Laboratory tests compared the new bristles with ordinary nylon ones. The thicker piezoelectric bristles killed about 53 percent of Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium linked to cavities, and about 78 percent of Porphyromonas gingivalis, which is linked to gum disease. Nylon bristles killed only about 9 percent and 8 percent of those bacteria. On cow enamel coated with human plaque, the new brushes removed more than 99 percent of the film after three minutes, against about 80 percent for nylon brushes. The bristles stayed soft and kept their electrical properties after three months of use.

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实验室测试将新刷毛与普通尼龙刷毛作了比较。较粗的压电刷毛杀死了约53%的变形链球菌（与龋齿相关）和约78%的牙龈卟啉单胞菌（与牙龈疾病相关）。尼龙刷毛对这两类细菌的杀灭率分别仅为约9%和8%。在涂有人类牙菌斑的牛牙釉质上，新牙刷三分钟清除了超过99%的菌膜，尼龙刷约为80%。刷毛在使用三个月后仍保持柔软，并保留电学性能。

The team then tested the brushes in a three-month trial with 109 adults who had plaque and gum inflammation. Volunteers were randomly assigned to a piezoelectric or nylon brush and told to brush twice a day. Dental checks found roughly 40 percent reductions in plaque, gum inflammation and bleeding in the piezoelectric group, compared with around 15 percent in the conventional group. Genetic sequencing of plaque also suggested fewer harmful bacteria and more of some potentially beneficial ones.

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研究团队随后在一项为期三个月、共109名有牙菌斑和牙龈炎症的成人试验中测试了牙刷。志愿者被随机分配使用压电牙刷或尼龙牙刷，并按要求每天刷两次。牙科检查发现，压电组的牙菌斑、牙龈炎症和出血大约减少40%，常规组约为15%。对牙菌斑的基因测序也显示，有害细菌相对减少，部分潜在有益细菌有所增加。

Outside experts were interested but careful. Periodontist Frank Scannapieco of the University at Buffalo called the idea a new twist on an old concept and said more tests are needed on efficacy and safety. Nicholas Jakubovics of Newcastle University praised the design yet noted that larger studies must show whether the brush truly prevents cavities and tooth loss. The researchers reported no damage to tooth surfaces and no clear toxicity to human cells in short tests, but they did not settle long-term safety or cost. For now, the study offers early evidence that everyday brushing might do more than scrub: it might also recharge a quiet electrical defence against plaque.

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外部专家兴趣浓厚，但也保持谨慎。布法罗大学牙周病学家弗兰克·斯卡纳皮科称这是对旧概念的新扭转，并表示在有效性和安全性上仍需更多测试。纽卡斯尔大学的尼古拉斯·雅库博维奇肯定了设计，同时指出更大规模研究必须证明该牙刷是否真正预防龋齿和牙齿脱落。研究者报告短期测试未损伤牙面、对人细胞无明显毒性，但尚未解决长期安全与成本问题。就目前而言，这项研究提供了早期证据：日常刷牙或许不只是擦洗，还可能为对抗牙菌斑充上一次安静的电防御。

新闻来源

• Science Advances · Self-charged toothbrush facilitates tooth healthcare maintenance (4 Nov 2026)
• Nature · Toothbrush zaps bacteria with electricity made when bristles move (4 Nov 2026)
• New Scientist · Toothbrush that emits electricity may more effectively prevent gum disease (4 Nov 2026)

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