You hold an electric toothbrush inches from your head for a few minutes every day, motor running the whole time. Almost nobody checks what that motor gives off. Every powered device puts out an electromagnetic field, and electric toothbrush EMF is one of the few sources that sits right against your jaw and temple while it runs. So we put it on a meter.
Where electric toothbrush EMF comes from
A powered brush works by running a small motor thousands of times a minute. That motor drives the bristle, and it is also what generates the two things you can pick up on a meter: an electric field and a magnetic field. Together most people call this EMF, or an electromagnetic field.
Your phone gives off a field. Your laptop gives off a field. The difference with a toothbrush is position and habit. Your laptop sits on a desk and your phone sits in your pocket, but the brush is pressed against your head, twice a day, every day.
On the same meter, the PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush read 14 V/m against 265 V/m for a leading plastic electric toothbrush.
Why a brush is a surprising source
Exposure to an electromagnetic field is not about any single device. It adds up across everything around you, all day. That is why guidance bodies like the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection publish exposure limits at all. Most of your daily sources are hard to change. A toothbrush is one of the easy ones.
What the electric toothbrush EMF readings showed
We tested the PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush, which comes in boar and horse bristle versions on the same low-EMF handle, against a leading plastic electric toothbrush on the same meter, held the same distance away. Here is how the two compared.
| Measurement | Leading plastic electric toothbrush | PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric field (V/m) | 265 | 14 | 19x less electric field |
| Magnetic field (µT) | 88.29 | 17.62 | 5x less magnetic field |
| Bristle | Plastic nylon | Natural bristle (boar or horse) | First natural bristle electric toothbrush |
On the electric field, the leading plastic electric toothbrush measured 265 V/m and the PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush measured 14, which is 19x less electric field. On the magnetic field, the leading plastic brush measured 88.29 microtesla against 17.62, which is 5x less magnetic field on the same meter.
The first time I held a meter up to my old brush, I did not expect the number to move much. It jumped. I stood there thinking about how many minutes that motor had spent pressed against my head over the years, and how I had never once thought to check.
That was the whole reason I wanted our brush built differently. Not to scare anyone, but so people could keep the clean they like and stop worrying about the part they never chose to think about.
Lauryn, founder of PRIMALS
Meet the PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush
One low-EMF handle, two natural bristle options. Boar for a firmer, deeper clean. Horse for the softest touch on sensitive gums.
How we got the readings down
The PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush is the first natural bristle electric toothbrush, and low EMF was designed into it from the start rather than added on. The build swaps the materials and motor housing that drive up the readings on a conventional plastic brush, so the field measured at the head comes in far lower without softening the clean.
It comes in two natural bristle options on that same low-EMF handle. The boar bristle version gives a firmer, deeper clean, while the horse bristle version is the softest natural bristle available, made for sensitive gums, receding gumlines, and kids aged 6 and up. Both read the same low fields, because they share the same handle and motor, so the choice is purely about how firm you like the clean.
That is the part that matters most. A lower reading is only worth something if the brush still works. This one still reaches the plaque, still runs the full powered cycle, and still feels like a proper electric toothbrush in the hand. Prefer to keep your current handle for now? Our guides on natural bristle replacement heads that fit standard handles and horse bristle heads for sensitive gums cover the natural bristle options either way.
Frequently asked questions
Does an electric toothbrush give off EMF?
Yes. Any device with a running motor gives off an electromagnetic field you can measure. Electric toothbrush EMF stands out mainly because the brush sits right against your head while it runs, unlike most other sources.
Is the PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush zero EMF?
No, and no powered brush is. Any running motor produces a field. On the same meter the PRIMALS Electric Toothbrush simply reads far lower than a leading plastic electric toothbrush on both fields at once.
How much lower are the readings?
On our side by side meter test, 19x less electric field and 5x less magnetic field compared with a leading plastic electric toothbrush, measured at the same distance.
Do I give up cleaning power for lower fields?
No. As the first natural bristle electric toothbrush, it runs the full powered cycle and reaches the plaque a manual brush leaves behind. You keep the clean and get the lower readings.
Should I choose boar or horse bristle?
Both share the same low-EMF handle, so the readings are the same. Choose boar bristle for a firmer, deeper clean, or horse bristle for the softest touch on sensitive gums, receding gumlines, and kids aged 6 and up.
Keep the clean. Drop the readings.
Pick your bristle. Both are low-EMF engineered and both are the first natural bristle electric toothbrush.
