Surgery – Instruments – Oral pacifier
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-19
2004-03-02
Truong, Kevin T. (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Oral pacifier
C215S011400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06699264
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pacifier nipple including a shaft member with a fastening portion to fix the nipple to a pacifier shield, and a head member which is located opposite the fastening portion and wide relative to the shaft member.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a pacifier comprising such a pacifier nipple.
2. Prior Art
ECC caries (early childhood caries) is the main type of caries affecting the first teeth of infants under the age of three. An infant may develop caries already at the age of seven months. Investigations have revealed that the use of bottle food promotes the growth of streptococcus and lactobacillus, both being organisms that are involved in the development of caries; yet, infants will exhibit lower overall numbers of bacteria and streptococci, if nipples that do not serve food ingestion, e.g., pacifier nipples are used for soothing. When ingesting food, e.g., milk or liquid pap, the food in the infant's mouth will act as a nutrient for organisms, thus promoting their growth and the formation of caries. By contrast, if an infant sucks a pacifier nipple, an elevated amount of saliva will collect in the infant's mouth, thus reducing the number of bacteria, streptococci, etc., and also reducing the risk of,caries formation.
However, due to the position of the salivary glands in the mouth, the gravity and the type of the saliva flow in the mouth of an infant, a relatively small amount of saliva reaches the infant's teeth according to investigations that have led to the present invention, so that bacteria colonies may exactly grow there relatively undisturbed, leading to ECC caries and, in particular, the baby bottle syndrome (tooth decay).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,619 A describes a pacifier comprising an externally smooth nipple, said nipple having a shaft member and a wider head member. Ribs are provided in the head member on its internal side to reinforce the nipple. That nipple (and comparable nipples according to the prior art) only poorly stimulates the production of saliva and, in particular, has the drawback of not ensuring a saliva flow towards the teeth.
DE 197 01 969 A1, in turn, discloses a nipple comprising a hollow-cylindrical shaft provided with nodules. Those nodules, on the one hand, are to promote the blood flow through the jaws and the support of tooth formation and, on the other hand, are to provide an alleviating effect during teething in the manner of a teething ring. This does neither result in the stimulation of saliva production nor in an (increased) saliva flow to the tooth region.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, it is the object of the invention to provide a pacifier nipple of the initially defined kind, which stimulates intensive saliva production and ensures a saliva flow to the teeth in order to obtain an optimum mouth flora also in the tooth region.
The pacifier nipple according to the invention, of the initially defined kind is characterized in that the head member, on its external side, comprises at least one thickened region forming at least one raised part, and that at least one saliva flow channel is provided in the thickened region. A pacifier nipple designed in this manner ensures that during sucking the thickened region provided on the external side of the head member, i.e. the at least one raised part, as a “saliva stimulating elevation” massages the interior of the mouth and, in particular, the region of the saliva glands so as to strongly stimulate the production of saliva. Yet, the saliva does not remain in the rear mouth region, but is conducted through the saliva flow channel(s) forwardly to the teeth, where its antibacterial action becomes fully effective, thus largely reducing the formation of caries. It is feasible to provide a single saliva flow channel, yet the more saliva flow channels are provided in the thickened region the more saliva will be conducted to the teeth, and accordingly several saliva flow channels are, thus, provided in a preferred manner.
It should be noted that a nipple comprising an external rib-shaped thickening is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,888 A. Those ribs, however, serve to stiffen the nipple, apart from the fact that the nipple according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,888 A is a bottle nipple such that the saliva, through the ingestion of food via a drinking bottle, is additionally rinsed out of the mouth and the food constitutes a nutrient for organisms. EP 0 757 909 A1 likewise describes a bottle nipple comprising peripherally extending ribs externally on the shaft, which are to cause the simultaneous movement of the suction part during the exertion of a suction force in order to ensure the cleansing of the tongue surface from food remainders. From FR 2 302 724 A, a similar bottle nipple is known, which comprises a wavy external surface to enable the nipple to expand in the longitudinal direction as a suction force is being applied. Also U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,069 A describes a similar bottle nipple, which in that case is comprised of two walls slipped one into the other. Thus are formed two chambers which serve as flexible adaptation means, offering a twice reinforced resistance against the lateral pressure during suction and biting movements. Furthermore, DE 197 16 534 A1 shows a bottle nipple comprising elevations and/or depressions on at least one of its broad sides. Again, this is a bottle nipple which is intended to be kept within the mouth only for a while during drinking and exhibits the drawbacks described above. GB 2 463 A.D. 1873, moreover, discloses a teething plate which comprises elevations and depressions of different shapes. These serve to massage the palate, to provide an enhanced support within the infant's mouth and to grind off the teeth. That teething plate, however, does not enable a “mouthfilling” suction, since it is designed to be flat, thus hardly stimulating the production of saliva, nor is the saliva conducted to the teeth.
In order to ensure the optimum saliva flow to the infant's teeth with the instant pacifier nipple, it is, moreover, favorable if the saliva flow channel extends in the direction of the shaft member. In this case, saliva flow channels may extend towards the center of the fasting portion and also obliquely towards the two sides in order to ensure a saliva flow also towards the lateral teeth.
Furthermore, it is advantageous if at least one saliva flow channel extends linearly. Thus, the saliva is conducted to the teeth rapidly and directly.
Preferably, at least one saliva flow channel extends in a wave-shaped or zig-zag-like manner. Thereby, a wider region is each covered by a single saliva flow channel which is longer than a straight-line saliva flow channel, thus ensuring even more saliva to be collected in the saliva flow channel.
A particularly favorable embodiment is characterized in that at least two saliva flow channels extending in parallel are provided. These saliva flow channels may extend both linearly and in a wave-shaped or zig-zag-like manner. If several saliva flow channels extending in parallel are provided, a constant flow of saliva in the direction towards the teeth will be ensured, the saliva being conducted not only to the central front teeth, but to the entire front region of the teeth, from where the saliva may flow on laterally.
Furthermore, it is advantageous if at least two mutually intersecting saliva flow channels are provided. Such saliva flow channels may extend, for instance, obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the nipple such that, if several saliva flow channels are provided, these will form a cross-shaped pattern. In this manner, the saliva flow is distributed uniformly over the head member of the nipple so as to ensure that all the teeth will be reached by saliva.
In all these different embodiments of the saliva flow channels, also the cross section of the respective saliva flow channel may be designed in different ways. It may, for instance, be triangular, rectangular or polygonal or round. What is important is that the saliva flo
Bamed AG
Ladas & Parry
Truong Kevin T.
LandOfFree
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