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STIM Oral Care | 14 Oct, 2022
The Toothbrush - A Brief History
Let's talk about toothbrush history. In the olden days, people wanted to keep their oral health in place, just like we do now. They cleaned their mouths with different tools to keep their breath fresh and their teeth white. Rough cloth and water were the primary sources of cleaning teeth, and then salt and chalk came into the picture.
The toothbrush was in use in its early forms, as far back as 3000 BC. The early Egyptians made a kind of brush-like tool by splitting the end of a twig. And then the Chinese chewed on special flavored twigs to freshen their breath. Toothpaste was not a popular option that was available back then, so people made toothpaste out of unknown ingredients that you probably wouldn’t even want to taste now. Generally, a powder was made of ashes from ox hooves and burned eggshells. Greeks and Romans used crushed oyster shells and bones to rub against their teeth as toothpaste.
Evolution led to a lot of new inventions and the first bristle toothbrush, was invented by the ancient Chinese. The brush used coarse hairs from the back of a hog's neck for bristles and handles were crafted using bone or bamboo sticks and then an electric toothbrush.
Nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours in 1938, and the first nylon toothbrush was called Doctor West's Miracle Toothbrush. In WWII, Americans became influenced by the disciplined hygiene habits of soldiers in the way, and, becoming increasingly concerned with the practice of good oral hygiene, they quickly adopted the nylon toothbrush.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE TOOTHBRUSH
- The first ever nylon toothbrush was named after the inventor, Doctor West's Miracle Toothbrush.
- The first mass-produced toothbrush was made by William Addis (England) in around 1780.
- Mass production of toothbrushes in America began around 1885.
- The Florence Manufacturing Company was the first to sell toothbrushes packaged in boxes.
The first electric toothbrush entered the American market around 1960, marketed by a company named Broxodent.
For more blogs and updates on Dental Health & Oral Care, stay tuned.
