The toothbrush is an oral hygiene
instrument used to clean the teeth and gums that consists of a head of
tightly clustered bristles mounted on a handle, which facilitates the
cleansing of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth.
Toothpaste, which often contains
fluoride, is commonly used in conjunction with a toothbrush to increase
the effectiveness of toothbrushing. Toothbrushes are available with
different bristle textures, sizes and forms.
Most dentists recommend using a
toothbrush labelled “soft”, since hard bristled toothbrushes can damage
tooth enamel and irritate the gums.
Toothbrushes have usually been made from
synthetic fibers since they were developed, although animal bristles are
still sometimes used.
History
A variety of oral hygiene measures have
been used since before recorded history. This has been verified by
various excavations done all over the world, in which chew sticks, tree
twigs, bird feathers, animal bones and porcupine quills were recovered.
The earliest description of a toothbrush
was made in a Chinese historical work, dated to approximately 1600 BC.
It described a chewing stick, consisting of a twig and a frayed end.
Various forms of toothbrush have been used.
Indian medicine (Ayurveda) used the twigs
of the neem or banyan tree to make toothbrushes and other
oral-hygiene-related products for millennia.
The end of a neem twig is chewed until it
is soft and splayed, and it is then used to brush the teeth. In the
Muslim world, the usage of miswak—a type of chewing stick consisting of
the roots or twigs of the Arak tree (Salvadora persica), which have
antiseptic properties—is common practice and dates to pre-Islamic times.
Muhammad popularized the use of miswak
and some erroneously believe it’s his invention. Rubbing baking soda or
chalk against the teeth has also been common practice in history.
During the 1900s, celluloid handles
gradually replaced bone handles in toothbrushes. Natural animal bristles
were also replaced by synthetic fibers, usually nylon, by DuPont in
1938.
The first nylon bristle toothbrush, made
with nylon yarn, went on sale on February 24, 1938. The first electric
toothbrush, the Broxodent, was invented in Switzerland in 1954. Today,
nylon is widely used for the bristles and the handles are commonly made
from thermoplastic materials.
