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Toothbrushing has been an intricate part of our lives as far back as 3500 BC with the Babylonians. However, the instrument used for this task was not as well designed as the modern toothbrush. The Babylonians did not use a brush at all, they actually used a stick. The chew stick was about the length of a pencil and the ends were chewed to separate the fiber about a ¼ inch. The Babylonians also used tooth picks. Muslims were known to use the twig, which they called a “siwak” or “miswak” to brush their teeth as they did their prayers. They timed themselves with great efficiency by doing seventy prayers while brushing, which averages about fifteen minutes.
The Muslims were not the only ones to use religion as a way to practice oral hygiene. In ancient India the laws of Manu explained how one is to clean their teeth daily in part with their other personal hygiene. A Sanskrit from a well known surgeon in ancient India named Susruta Samhita explained to rinse with water early in the morning and brush the teeth with a fresh twig from a tree with no knots, or shrubs and was the diameter of the pinky. The Greeks would use a finger, with or without cloth to clean teeth. In 355 BC a famous Greek Physician by the name of Hippocrates said to use a round woolen ball dipped in honey to brush the teeth. The Greeks and Romans both used tooth picks like the Babylonians. The Greeks called toothpicks “karphos”, which means “blade of grass”.
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In 1498 the first actual toothbrush was made in China using bamboo or bone for a handle and hair from a Siberian boar as bristles positioned at a right angle. In 1728 Pierre Fauchard known as the father of dentistry, believed that the course horse hair being used for bristles in his time were too abrasive and suggested using a wet sponge. Dr. Meyer L. Rhein was the first to make and patent a toothbrush with 3 rows of serrated bristles in 1884. Dr. Meyer called this toothbrush the "Prophylactic". It was the first toothbrush to be sold sterile in a package and to have a hole to hang it up to dry.
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In 1930 cellulose acetate handles were introduced. In 1938 DuPont Laboratories revolutionized the market by replacing animal hair with nylon bristles, and in 1951 DuPont developed an acrylic resin and a clear handle toothbrush. Johnson & Johnson developed the first specialized tooth brush called the "Reach Toothbrush", which was made to reach the back teeth.
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In 1938 at the American Dental Association Meeting the motorized toothbrush was was unveiled. In 1961 the corded electric toothbrush was shown in the U.S., and by 1964 there were 70 electric toothbrushes being sold. In the early 1960s cordless electric toothbrushes were available, but it was a company named Interplak that introduced the first rotary electric toothbrush. In the1990s ultra sonic and sonic became available. In 1995 electric toothbrushes accounted for 25% of the toothbrushes being sold. By 2001 smaller cordless toothbrushes were being made.
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References
(1) - (4) Swank DDS, S curator. (2011). Title of section. Branches, Bristles and Batteries: Toothbrushes Through Time. Retrieved October 17, 2011 from Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry University of Maryland 31 S. Greene Street Baltimore, MD 21201
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