Editing Toothbrush (section)

==History==
[[File:宋朝牙刷.png|thumb|[[Song dynasty]] (960–1279) toothbrush handles made of tiger bone]]
[[File:Napoleon’s toothbrush, c 1795. (9660576547).jpg|thumb|right|The [[horsehair]] toothbrush was said to have been used by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] (1769–1821)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Napoleon's Toothbrush, Europe, 1790-1821|url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/kezgq2tb|access-date=2021-04-11|website=Wellcome Collection|language=en}}</ref>]]

===Precursors===
[[File:নিমের ডালের দাঁতন.jpg|thumb|Traditional [[Bengal]]i [[miswak]], made out of [[Neem tree]]]]

Before the invention of the toothbrush, a variety of [[oral hygiene]] measures had been used.<ref name=sammons-223>{{cite book |last=Sammons |first=R. |chapter=Control of dental plaque |title=Medical biofilms detection, prevention and control |year=2003 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=Chichester |page=223 |isbn=978-0-471-98867-0}}</ref> This has been verified by excavations during which tree [[twig]]s, bird [[feather]]s, animal [[bone]]s and [[porcupine]] quills were recovered.

The predecessor of the toothbrush is the [[chew stick]]. Chew sticks were twigs with frayed ends used to brush the teeth<ref name="origins" /> while the other end was used as a [[toothpick]].<ref name="dentalb">{{cite book|last1=Yu |first1=Hai-Yang |last2=Qian |first2=Lin-Mao |last3=Zheng |first3=Jing |title=Dental Biotribology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsSqVeaHUv0C&pg=PA19 |year=2013 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4614-4550-0 |pages=18–19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102131335/http://books.google.com/books?id=tsSqVeaHUv0C&pg=PA19 |archive-date=2014-01-02 }}</ref> The earliest chew sticks were discovered in [[Sumer]] in southern [[Mesopotamia]] in 3500 BC,<ref name="dentalb" /> an Egyptian tomb dating from 3000 BC,<ref name="origins" /> and mentioned in Chinese records dating from 1600 BC.

The Indian way of using tooth wood for brushing is presented by the Chinese Monk [[Yijing (monk)|Yijing]] (635–713 CE) when he describes the rules for monks in his book:<ref>Li, R., 2000. Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia: A Record of the Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas (p. 198). Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.</ref>
"Every day in the morning, a monk must chew a piece of tooth wood to brush his teeth and scrape his tongue, and this must be done in the proper way. Only after one has washed one's hands and mouth may one make salutations. Otherwise both the saluter and the saluted are at fault. In Sanskrit, the tooth wood is known as the dantakastha—danta meaning tooth, and kastha, a piece of wood. It is twelve finger-widths in length. The shortest is not less than eight finger-widths long, resembling the little finger in size. Chew one end of the wood well for a long while and then brush the teeth with it."

The Greeks and Romans used toothpicks to clean their teeth, and toothpick-like twigs have been excavated in [[Qin dynasty]] tombs.<ref name="dentalb" /> Chew sticks remain common in Africa,<ref>''[[salvadora persica]]''</ref> the rural Southern United States,<ref name="origins">{{cite book|last=Panati |first=Charles |title=Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U662rR2VInQC&pg=PA208 |year=2013 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-227708-4 |pages=208–209 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102131409/http://books.google.com/books?id=U662rR2VInQC&pg=PA208 |archive-date=2014-01-02 }}</ref> and in the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]], the use of the chewing stick, [[miswak]], is regarded as a pious action and is prescribed for use before every prayer, occurring five times a day.<ref name="IslamKotob">IslamKotob, ''Muslims and Science'', (Islamic Books), p.30.</ref> Miswaks have been used by Muslims since the 7th century.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Twigs of [[Neem]] Tree have been used by ancient Indians.<ref>{{Cite web|title=4 ways our ancestors used benefits from the neem tree|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/4-ways-our-ancestors-used-benefits-from-the-neem-tree/449982|access-date=2020-08-22|website=www.timesnownews.com|date=7 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sharma|first1=Abhishek|last2=Sankhla|first2=Bharat|last3=Parkar|first3=Sujal M|last4=Hongal|first4=Sudheer|last5=K|first5=Thanveer|last6=CG|first6=Ajithkrishnan|date=July 2014|title=Effect of Traditionally Used Neem and Babool Chewing Stick (Datun) on Streptococcus Mutans: An In–Vitro Study|journal=Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research|volume=8|issue=7|pages=ZC15–ZC17|doi=10.7860/JCDR/2014/9817.4549|issn=2249-782X|pmc=4149135|pmid=25177629}}</ref> Neem, in its full bloom, can aid in healing by keeping the area clean and disinfected. In fact, even today, Neem twigs called ''[[datun (twig)|datun]]'' are used for brushing teeth in India, although not hugely common.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Does Brushing With Neem Twig Help Give You Stronger Teeth and Gums? We Find Out|url=https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/does-brushing-with-neem-twig-help-give-you-stronger-teeth-and-gums-we-find-out-1897901|access-date=2020-08-22|website=NDTV Food}}</ref>

===Toothbrush===
The first [[bristle]] toothbrush resembling the modern one was found in China.<ref name=kumar-412413>{{cite book |last=Kumar |first=Jayanth V. |title=Textbook of preventive and community dentistry |year=2011 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-81-312-2530-1 |pages=412–413 |edition=2nd |chapter=Oral hygiene aids}}</ref> Used during the [[Tang dynasty]] (619–907), it consisted of hog bristles.<ref>{{cite book |title=Primary preventive dentistry |year=1999 |publisher=Appleton & Lange |location=Stamford |isbn=978-0-8385-8129-2 |edition=5th |editor1=Harris, Norman O. |editor2=García-Godoy, Franklin |url=https://archive.org/details/primarypreventiv0000harr_h7c0 }}</ref> The bristles were sourced from hogs living in Siberia and northern China because the colder temperatures provided firmer bristles. They were attached to a handle manufactured from bamboo or bone, forming a toothbrush.<ref name="origins" /> In 1223, Japanese [[Zen]] master [[Dōgen]] Kigen recorded in his ''[[Shōbōgenzō]]'' that he saw monks in [[China]] clean their teeth with brushes made of horsetail hairs attached to an oxbone handle. The bristle toothbrush spread to Europe, brought from China to Europe by travellers.<ref name="The Library of Congress">{{cite web|publisher=The Library of Congress |date=2007-04-04 |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/tooth.html |title=Who invented the toothbrush and when was it invented? |access-date=2008-04-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411053746/http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/tooth.html |archive-date=2008-04-11 }}</ref> It was adopted in Europe during the 17th century.<ref name="stay">{{cite book |last=Stay |first=Flora Parsa |title=The fibromyalgia dental handbook: A practical guide to maintaining peak dental health |year=2005 |publisher=Marlowe & Company |location=New York |isbn=978-1-56924-401-2 |page=118}}</ref> The earliest identified use of the word toothbrush in English was in the autobiography of [[Anthony Wood (antiquary)|Anthony Wood]] who wrote in 1690 that he had bought a toothbrush from J. Barret.<ref>{{cite book|last=Olmert|first=Michael|title=Milton's Teeth & Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser and Curiouser Adventures in History|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York|isbn=0-684-80164-7|year=1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/miltonsteethovid00olme/page/62 62]|url=https://archive.org/details/miltonsteethovid00olme/page/62}}</ref> Europeans found the hog bristle toothbrushes imported from China too firm and preferred softer bristle toothbrushes made from horsehair.<ref name="origins" /> Mass-produced toothbrushes made with horse or boar bristle continued to be imported to Britain from China until the mid 20th century.<ref name=sammons-223 />
[[File:'Indexo' finger toothbrush, New York, United States, 1901-19 Wellcome L0058113.jpg|thumb|'Indexo' finger toothbrush, New York, United States, 1901–1919. It is made entirely of rubber, which has been shaped to fit over the index finger.]]
[[File:Toothbrush1899Paris.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A photo from 1899 showing the use of a toothbrush.]]

In the UK, [[William Addis (entrepreneur)|William Addis]] is believed to have produced the first mass-produced toothbrush in 1780.<ref name="The Library of Congress" /><ref name=Dentistry>{{cite web|url=http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventions/a/dentistry_2.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713172145/http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventions/a/dentistry_2.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2012|title=History of the Toothbrush and Toothpaste|author=Mary Bellis|publisher=About.com Money}}</ref> In 1770, he had been jailed for causing a riot. While in prison he decided that using a [[textile|rag]] with [[soot]] and [[salt]] on the teeth was ineffective and could be improved. After saving a small [[bone]] from a meal, he drilled small holes into the bone and tied into the bone tufts of bristles that he had obtained from one of the guards, passed the tufts of bristle through the holes in the bone and sealed the holes with glue. After his release, he became wealthy after starting a business manufacturing toothbrushes. He died in 1808, bequeathing the business to his eldest son. It remained within family ownership until 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.addis.co.uk/our-history |title=History of ADDIS |publisher=addis.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028094022/http://www.addis.co.uk/our-history |archive-date=2014-10-28 }}</ref> Under the name Wisdom Toothbrushes, the company now manufactures 70 million toothbrushes per year in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge/New-jobs-joy-in-toothbrushes.htm|title=New jobs joy in toothbrushes|website=Cambridge News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525235443/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge/New-jobs-joy-in-toothbrushes.htm|archive-date=25 May 2014}}</ref> By 1840 toothbrushes were being mass-produced in Britain, France, Germany, and Japan.<ref name=Addis>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wisdom-toothbrushes.co.uk/learning-centre/history.html|title=The history of the toothbrush|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630192218/http://www.wisdom-toothbrushes.co.uk/learning-centre/history.html|url-status=dead|archivedate=June 30, 2012}}</ref> Pig bristles were used for cheaper toothbrushes and badger hair for the more expensive ones.<ref name=Addis />

[[Hertford Museum]] in Hertford, UK, holds approximately 5000 brushes that make up part of the Addis Collection. The Addis factory on Ware Road was a major employer in the town until 1996. Since the closure of the factory, Hertford Museum has received photographs and documents relating to the archive, and collected oral histories from former employees.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.hertfordmuseum.org/page73.html |title = The Addis Company}}</ref>

The first [[patent]] for a toothbrush was granted to H.N. Wadsworth in 1857 (U.S.A. Patent No. 18,653) in the United States, but mass production in the United States did not start until 1885. The improved design had a bone handle with holes bored into it for the Siberian [[boar]] hair bristles. Unfortunately, animal bristle was not an ideal material as it retained [[bacteria]], did not dry efficiently and the bristles often fell out. In addition to bone, handles were made of wood or ivory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ada.org/1321.aspx |title=Toothbrushes&nbsp;– American Dental Association |publisher=ADA.org |date=2010-02-04 |access-date=2013-05-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112095938/http://www.ada.org/1321.aspx |archive-date=2012-11-12 }}</ref> In the United States, brushing teeth did not become routine until after [[World War II]], when American soldiers had to clean their teeth daily.<ref name=Dentistry />
[[File:Toothbrush teaching 1.jpg|thumb|right|A child being shown how to use a toothbrush.]]

During the 1900s, celluloid gradually replaced bone handles.<ref name=kumar-412413 /> Natural animal bristles were also replaced by [[synthetic fiber]]s, 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/tooth.html |title=Who invented the toothbrush and when was it? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress) |publisher=Library of Congress |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411053746/http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/tooth.html |archive-date=2008-04-11 }}</ref> By the turn of the 21st century nylon had come to be widely used for the bristles and the handles were usually molded from [[thermoplastic]] materials.<ref name=sammons-223 />

[[Johnson & Johnson]], a leading medical supplies firm, introduced the "[[Reach (brand)|Reach]]" toothbrush in 1977.<ref name="tribune1991">{{cite news |last=Lazarus |first=George |date=1991-08-13 |title=P&G Puts Its Crest On A Toothbrush |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/08/13/pg-puts-its-crest-on-a-toothbrush/ |url-status=live |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |location=[[Chicago]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123021148/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-08-13/business/9103280368_1_toothbrush-market-procter-gamble-crest |archive-date=2016-01-23 |access-date=2016-01-23 }}</ref> It differed from previous toothbrushes in three ways: it had an angled head, similar to dental instruments, to reach back teeth; the bristles were concentrated more closely than usual to clean each tooth of potentially [[Dental caries|cariogenic]] (cavity-causing) materials; and the outer bristles were longer and softer than the inner bristles. Other manufacturers soon followed with other designs aimed at improving effectiveness.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} In spite of the changes with the number of tufts and the spacing, the handle form and design, the bristles were still straight and difficult to maneuver. In 1978 Dr. George C. Collis developed the Collis Curve toothbrush which was the first toothbrush to have curved bristles. The curved bristles follow the curvature of the teeth and safely reach in between the teeth and into the [[gingival sulcus|sulcular]] areas.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilkins|first1=E. M.|title=Clinical practice of the dental hygienist. 5th ed|date=1983|publisher=Lea and Febiger|location=Philadelphia|page=308}}</ref>

In January 2003, the toothbrush was selected as the number one invention [[United States|Americans]] could not live without according to the [[Jerome H. Lemelson|Lemelson]]-[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] Invention Index.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-03index.html |title=2003 Invention Index |access-date=2009-05-20 |date=2003-01-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628194042/http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-03index.html |archive-date=2009-06-28 }}</ref>