Abstract: Oral hygiene devices employing an ultrasound transducer are disclosed. The device is user-activatable to commence an operating cycle, and has a controller that may provide a timing function and may provide a variable level of ultrasound transducer output during an operating cycle. The controller may provide a monitoring function that is capable of detecting an ultrasound transducer fault condition and alert a user, through a user interface, when an ultrasound transducer fault condition is detected. The controller may be programmed to count the number of device operating cycles or accumulate the total device operating time and activate a transducer replacement signal following a predetermined number of uses or a predetermined accumulated operating time.

Abstract: A needle guide mount has a main guide body, with a knob arm and a pivot arm each attached at one end to the main guide body. A gate assembly is pivotably in the pivot arm and has an open position, in which the gate assembly can pivot freely away from the knob arm, and a closed position, in which the gate assembly is secured in the knob arm. The gate assembly preferably has a shaft, a knob that can move longitudinally and rotatably on the shaft, and a locking arrangement that permits the gate assembly to enter the closed position only when the central axis of the gate assembly lies less than a predetermined maximum misalignment angle away from a correct mounting alignment axis. If the guide mount is not properly positioned on the probe, then the gate assembly is out of correct alignment and the locking arrangement is unable to engage. The operator can then easily feel that she is not able to mount the guide.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a disposable/reusable needle guide which can be: (a) utilized with many ultrasound probes; (b) attached and detached from such ultrasound probes easily and rapidly; and (c) utilized with biopsy needles. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention is a needle guide for use with an ultrasound probe which includes: (a) a clip for detachably affixing the needle guide to the ultrasound probe; (b) a clip lock for detachably locking the clip to securely affix the needle guide to the ultrasound probe; (c) a needle support, affixed to the clip, for supporting and positioning a needle; and (d) a needle cap, detachably affixed to the needle support, for supporting and positioning the needle; wherein the needle support and the needle cap include a snap locking for detachably affixing the needle support and the needle cap to each other.