Synopsis of GCD in the senior group “History of the toothbrush. Dental care

A few years ago, in a small and short-lived journal that set itself the task of publishing unusual hypotheses rejected by "official" science, an article was published stating that brushing your teeth was harmful. The main arguments of the author: animals do not brush their teeth and do not know caries; cleaning disrupts the natural ecosystem of the oral cavity, beneficial microbes are cleaned off, and their place is taken by harmful ones that destroy tooth enamel.

The author of the hypothesis is right in principle, but his arguments have nothing to do with the majority of our contemporaries. There would be a natural ecosystem in the mouth if we ate natural food, which is intended for our species by nature: vegetables, fruits, root vegetables, nuts, less often meat and seafood - and all this in its raw form. However, ever since Homo Erectus tamed fire and became addicted to fried/boiled foods, the acid-base balance in the mouth was disturbed and remains so to this day.

Tellingly, the same Homo Erectus noticed the connection between processed food and poor dental health and began brushing his teeth: after examining the remains of teeth that are more than 1 million years old, archaeologists have found that the small curved dimples on them are nothing more than the result of brushing. True, not a brush was used for this (the creation of such a thin tool was beyond the power of ancient people), but a bunch of grass, with which ancient people rubbed their teeth :)

The most ancient example of a toothbrush can be called a wooden stick, soaked at one end and pointed at the other. The sharp end was used to remove food fibers, the other was chewed with teeth, while coarse wood fibers removed plaque from the teeth. They made such “brushes” from special types of wood containing essential oils and known for their disinfectant properties. Such "tooth sticks" about five thousand years old are found in Egyptian tombs, but in some parts of the Earth they are still used: for example, in Africa they are made from twigs of trees of the Salvador genus, and in some American states, the indigenous population uses twigs of white elm.

It took centuries for a tool more or less similar to a modern toothbrush to appear. Only in 1498 in China did they come up with the idea of ​​​​attaching a small amount of Siberian boar bristles to a bamboo handle. True, this brush was used “dry”, that is, without toothpaste or cleansing powder. The bristles were chosen the hardest and most durable - from the spine of a boar. The bristly head was attached not parallel to the handle, as we are used to, but perpendicularly, to make it easier to clean.

Gradually, the Asian “novelty” began to be “exported” to other countries of the world, and the fashion for brushing your teeth reached Russia. Already under Ivan the Terrible, bearded boyars, no, no, and at the end of a stormy feast, took out a “tooth broom” from a caftan pocket - a wooden stick with a bunch of bristles.

Under Peter I, the royal decree ordered to replace the brush with a rag and a pinch of crushed chalk. In the villages, as before, the teeth were rubbed with birch charcoal, which perfectly whitened the teeth.

In de-franchised Europe, the toothbrush at first became an outcast: it was considered indecent to use this tool (as we remember, ladies and gentlemen did not consider washing something necessary either). However, by the middle of the 17th century, the toothbrush began to gain ground, which was facilitated by the appearance of the book “The Dentist-Surgeon, or a Treatise on the Teeth” by the French dentist Pierre Fauchard. In his scientific work, Fauchard criticized the then prevailing opinion that some mysterious “dental worms” were the cause of dental diseases. He identified 102 types of dental diseases, and also developed a more humane method of removing teeth. The doctor also became famous for the fact that he invented false teeth, pin teeth, caps for teeth coated with porcelain enamel, and began using primitive braces.

So, Fauchard argued that it is necessary to brush your teeth, and daily. True, in his opinion, horse hair, which was used in Europe to make bristles for toothbrushes, was too soft and could not clean teeth well, and pig bristles, on the contrary, severely injured tooth enamel. Alas, the doctor could not offer any optimal material for the bristles - his recommendations were limited to the instruction to wipe the teeth and gums with a natural sea sponge.

Proof that a revolutionary new material is needed for tooth bristles, mankind received in late XIX century, when the outstanding French microbiologist Louis Pasteur put forward the hypothesis that microbes and viruses are the cause of many dental diseases. And where is it most comfortable for them to breed, if not in the humid environment of natural toothbrush bristles? Alternatively, dentists suggested boiling toothbrushes daily, thereby disinfecting them, but this procedure quickly wore out the bristles and the brush became unusable.

But in order to make a toothbrush a useful tool for human health, it took another half a century. In 1937, specialists from the American chemical company Du Pont invented nylon - a synthetic material, the appearance of which marked the beginning of a new era in the development of toothbrushes. On February 24, 1938, Oral-B launched the first brush that replaced animal bristles with synthetic nylon fibers. The advantages of nylon over bristles or horsehair are obvious: it is light, strong enough, elastic, moisture resistant, and highly resistant to many chemicals. The nylon bristles dried much faster, so the bacteria in it did not multiply as quickly. True, nylon scratched the gums and teeth quite strongly, but after some time Du Pont managed to fix this by synthesizing “soft” nylon, which dentists vied with each other to praise to their patients.

The end of the 30s of the XX century was marked by another important event in the world of oral hygiene - the first electric toothbrush appeared. True, attempts to create such a device have been made for a long time. So, at the end of the 19th century, a certain Dr. Scott (George A. Scott) invented an electric toothbrush and even patented it in the American Patent Office. However, unlike modern devices, that brush “beat” a person with a current during use. According to the inventor, electricity could have a beneficial effect on dental health.

A more humane electric toothbrush was created in 1939 in Switzerland, but it was not until 1960 that the American pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb launched a toothbrush called Broxodent to put production on stream and establish sales. It was planned that it would be used by people who have problems with fine motor skills, or those whose teeth are “decorated” with non-removable orthopedic equipment (in other words, braces). Since the engine was large, the brush was a stationary device :) While brushing your teeth, you could shave:

But already in 1961, General Electrics introduced its version of an electric toothbrush, designed for use by all people without exception. Unlike Broxodent, this toothbrush did not work from the mains, but was powered by a built-in battery.

Over the next forty years, only the lazy did not try to experiment with a toothbrush. Experts say that between 1963 and 1998, more than 3,000 toothbrush models were patented. What they just didn’t do with them: the bristles began to be covered with a gradually fading pigment, which reminded the owner of the need to replace the brush. Then there were brushes with rounded ends, safer for teeth and gums. The brush was equipped with a built-in timer, then it became possible to replace the cleaning heads, later they released electric rotating brushes, and then reciprocating brushes (the reciprocating rotational movements of the head do not “drill” the teeth), and, for example, the latest Braun development additionally has 3D- pulsations to soften plaque and massage the gums.

In countries where medical care is expensive, electric toothbrushes have become widespread, simply because they clean better and save on trips to the dentist. In our country, the use of an electric toothbrush is rather associated with laziness - they say “it’s a bummer even to carry it with your hand back and forth, let the brush do everything for him” :) In fact, in order to switch to an electric brush once and for all, it is enough to brush your teeth with it once - the sensations are completely different, as if after a professional cleaning at the dentist.

Z.Y. Progress continues: recently in Japan they introduced a brush that connects to a computer via a USB port - especially for bloggers :)) But, as usual, Japanese goods most often remain inside Japan, so we don’t have a chance to buy such a gadget yet.

Z.Z.Y. In January 2003, Americans named the toothbrush the number one invention on the list of inventions they could not live without, leaving behind the automobile, personal computer, mobile phone, and microwave oven.

Class hour

prepared by an elementary school teacher

Shakhmina L.I.

MBOU secondary school No. 8 with. Levokumka

AT THE TOOTHBRUSH

OUR GUEST…

Toothbrush

bone back, hard bristles, Friendly with mint paste Serves us diligently.

On a red perch

Sitting white hens.

DO YOU KNOW THAT:

A TOOTH IS A LIVING ORGAN. IT IS COVERED WITH A HARD ENAMEL WHICH PROTECTS IT FROM DAMAGE.

Each tooth consists of three main parts:

Crown part of the tooth that is visible in the oral cavity;

Root - part of the tooth that is located in the jaw;

Neck The part of the tooth that is located between the crown and the root. She is covered by gums.

THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW!

WHAT HARMFUL FOR ZUBOV ?

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO DO NOT HAVE TEETH?

HOW TO EAT, READ YOUR TEETH

• gnaw nuts
• Eating very cold or very hot food
• Eating unhealthy foods (especially sweets)

DO THIS TWICE A DAY.

PREFER FRUITS TO CANDIES,

VERY IMPORTANT PRODUCTS!

We brush, brush our teeth And we live happily. And those who do not clean them, We sing a song: - Hey, don't yawn Don't forget about your teeth Bottom up, top down Don't be lazy about brushing your teeth.

THE HISTORY OF THE TOOTHBRUSH

Since ancient times, people have thought different ways brushing your teeth. African tribes chewed sticks carved from the roots of plants containing antimicrobial agents. The Indians chewed the resin of trees, and the Celts and the ancient Germans chewed sheep's wool mixed with honey. . African tribes chewed sticks carved from the roots of plants containing antimicrobial agents. The Indians chewed the resin of trees, and the Celts and the ancient Germans chewed sheep's wool mixed with honey. In 1850 an American Henry Wadsworth received the first patent for a toothbrush. It was very similar to the ones we use today.

MAKE SHORT STROKE POSITIONING THE BRUSH AT AN ANGLE TO THE TOOTH

RULES FOR BRUSHING :

POSITION YOUR TOOTHBRUSH HEAD AT AN ANGLE OF 45 0 TO THE TOOTH AND MAKE SWEEPING MOVEMENTS FROM THE GUM

TOOTHBRUSH

POSITION

HORIZONTALLY

AND MAKE MOVEMENTS

BACK AND FORTH

TOOTHBRUSH

LOCATED

VERTICAL,

DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT -

FROM THE GINGI TO THE INCISING EDGE OF THE TOOTH

FINISHING CLEANING YOUR TEETH

CIRCULAR MOVEMENTS

BRUSHES WITH GRIP AND

GUMS WITH CLOSED JAWS

What movements do we brush our teeth with?

Teeth should be cleaned from the corners, from the side teeth. First from the inside, up and down. This is how the walls are cleaned. On the tops of the teeth we brush with circles or loops. When we brush our teeth, the brush should be washed and put in a cup.

How many times a day should you brush your teeth? When? What kind of paste do you use?

Teeth should be brushed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. There is a special children's toothpaste for children.

Every tooth must be brushed Upper tooth, lower tooth, Even the farthest tooth, - A very important tooth. Inside, outside three, Three outside, inside.

It is unlikely that historians will be able to more or less accurately answer the question of when the first toothbrush appeared, since this event took place in those ancient times, about which only meager and fragmentary information has been preserved. It is known that a few millennia ago people tried to solve the problems associated with oral hygiene with the help of improvised means, but before the toothbrush took on the shape so familiar to us, it had come a long evolutionary path. We will only mention its main stages.

Toothbrushes of the ancient Assyrians

In the reports of the British archaeological expedition, which conducted excavations in 1892 on the territory of the ancient Assyrian kingdom, there is one curious entry. It says that, among other artifacts, fossilized from time to time, but well-preserved wooden sticks, one end of which was pointed and the other macerated like a brush, were extracted from the earth. After a comprehensive study of the find, scientists concluded that they were nothing but samples of the first toothbrushes.

It turns out that the subjects of King Ashurbanipal and other legendary rulers of Assyria took care of the hygiene of their own mouths. This is evidenced by the objects found during the excavations. Their pointed ends served as a kind of toothpicks - they removed food debris from the mouth. The opposite end of this "first toothbrush" was used in a very peculiar way: it was simply chewed, removing plaque with the help of coarse wood fibers.

Discoveries made in Egypt, India, Iran and other parts of the world

Somewhat later, exactly the same devices for putting things in order in the mouth were discovered during excavations of ancient Egyptian tombs. As you know, pharaohs and other noble persons were sent to the afterlife, providing everything necessary for a worthy stay there. This is probably why the sticks described above, which are considered to be the first toothbrushes, were found in burials among weapons, jewelry, magnificent dresses and other things, without which the deceased is ashamed to appear in a decent society.

A more detailed study of the issue showed that similar devices were used in ancient times by the peoples who inhabited the territories of China, Iran and India. For their manufacture, mastic wood was used, and in some cases bronze or even gold. And the information received from the members of the expeditions who studied the life of the tribes inhabiting the hard-to-reach areas of Central Africa was a complete surprise. As it turned out, they are very zealous about oral hygiene and to this day they use exactly the same sticks chewed at one end, like the inhabitants of long-disappeared civilizations.

Invention of the ancient Chinese

As mentioned above, historians can only roughly indicate the era in which people began to clean up their mouths by chewing special sticks, but it is known exactly when and where the first toothbrush appeared. Reviews, or rather, evidence of this event have been preserved in the ancient Chinese chronicles of the late 15th century. From them it is clear that in June 1498 a certain wise man had the idea to make a very close analogue of a modern brush. He attached a strip of pig bristle to a bamboo handle and publicly demonstrated his invention.

His "technical development" was a success with compatriots and was, as they say today, put into mass production. Brush handles were made not only from bamboo, but also from bone, ceramics and various other metals. Only the porcine bristle hedgehog remained unchanged, which, by the way, had a very big drawback: in the cold it became stiff and injured the gums. For this reason, when the first toothbrushes were brought from China to Europe, pig bristles were replaced with more suitable short-cut horsehair.

Historical facts that cannot be denied

To the shame of "enlightened Europe", it should be noted that toothbrushes took root in it with great difficulty. It is known that even in the Renaissance (XV-XVI centuries), taking care of hygiene, not only of the mouth, but of the whole body, was considered completely unnecessary. Moreover, for a true aristocrat, it was an unworthy and even humiliating business. Court ladies drowned out the bad smell by pouring streams of expensive perfumes on themselves (this was especially true on critical days). Men simply did not pay attention to such trifles.

Only by the middle of the 17th century did the Europeans gradually assimilate the truth, formulated three centuries later by Moidodyr, and realized that "it is necessary, it is necessary to wash in the mornings and evenings." At the same time, a toothbrush, imported from China and considered until then only an exotic curiosity, became widespread among them.

Tooth brooms from the time of Ivan the Terrible

At the same time, to the credit of our compatriots, it should be noted that in Russia personal hygiene was taken much more seriously, and much earlier than Europeans they came to the conclusion that “unclean chimney sweeps are shame and disgrace.” Suffice it to recall the Russian baths, so loved by the people and categorically rejected by strangers.

For this reason, the first toothbrushes were widely used in Rus' almost a hundred years earlier than in Europe. It happened in the middle of the XVI century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. By the way, despite the outward resemblance to Chinese samples, they were developed by domestic craftsmen and were thin wooden sticks, at the ends of which bunches of the same pig bristles were attached. These designs were called dental brooms.

They operated in the mouths of our ancestors until the middle of the 19th century and lost their positions only after the educated Russian public was imbued with the ideas of Louis Pasteur that the moisture remaining on the brush is a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microbes. It was decided that it was not safe to brush your teeth, and for some time the Russians abandoned this activity.

The first attempts at industrial production of toothbrushes

In the meantime, Europe in matters of hygiene has successfully made up for what it missed earlier. In 1840, the first industrial toothbrushes appeared on the shelves of Western stores. Their manufacturer was the British company Addis. The enterprising British bought bristles in Russia and China.

Continuing the conversation about how toothbrushes conquered the world, we should name a few more dates that have become epochal in this process. So, in 1938, the same British tried to replace natural pig bristles with synthetic fibers, but failed. At that time, there was no artificial material with the necessary elasticity, and the one that was available injured the gums.

Before the first use, the toothbrush had to be softened for a long time in boiling water, but then the fibers hardened again, and everything was repeated anew. As a result, the novelty was abandoned, and its release was resumed only in 1950, after the chemical industry began to produce necessary material.

Further improvement of brush design

In the same year, 1938, another curious event took place. One obscure Swedish company tried to produce the world's first electric toothbrushes, but, like the British, failed. Potential users were curious about the new invention, but they were in no hurry to take the mains-powered mechanism into their mouths. It wasn't until the early 1960s that battery-powered reciprocating electric toothbrushes took over the market. A little later, they were improved and received the well-known today rotating heads.

Scientific and technological progress, which is moving at an ever-increasing speed these days, has also affected the developments related to the production of more and more new models of toothbrushes. Their designs sometimes exceed the wildest fantasies. For example, the Japanese company Panasonic once again surprised the world by releasing a toothbrush with a video camera built into it. This innovation allows the user to visually inspect the most inaccessible areas of the oral cavity and clean them thoroughly.

Baby brushes

Today, the production of toothbrushes has become a powerful global industry, which has its own leaders and outsiders. This is not surprising, since washing and brushing your teeth is a mandatory procedure that every self-respecting person performs every day. He must instill the same skills in his children. To this end, brush manufacturers produce a wide range of products designed for the smallest consumers.

An example of such care for children is the Lubby toothbrush, which is put on the finger - the first of those that a little man who has come to this world will meet. It is designed for a baby at the age of about four months, whose teeth are just beginning to cut. This simple device, in which the mother's finger is the main component, can be replaced by another toothbrush - “Aquafresh. My first tooth." It is equipped with a handle and is very similar to those used by parents themselves, but, unlike them, is equipped with an unusually soft bristle, which excludes the possibility of damage to delicate children's gums.

Brushing your teeth turned into a fun game

In general, manufacturers approach the manufacture of this type of goods with special responsibility, since the impression the first toothbrush makes on the baby largely determines his further attitude to washing and all other hygiene procedures. It is understandable. The first use of a toothbrush should in no case be associated with painful sensations or some other kind of discomfort.

It is best if brushing your teeth will be perceived by the child as fun game with mom. That is why toothbrushes for the first teeth are often produced in the form of little animals, birds, insects, etc. They are presented in stores in a fairly wide range.

Types of first toothbrushes for children: sizes

As a rule, all manufacturers of this product label their products, indicating on it what age it is intended for. If there are no such marks, or their objectivity is in doubt, parents can use the recommendations below.

So, for babies under one year old, it is recommended to purchase brushes equipped with soft silicone bristles. These can be the fingertips mentioned above or the special dental wipes available in most stores. For older children, brushes are designed, the size of which varies as follows: from one year to 2 years, the length of the head is one and a half centimeters, from 2 to 5 years - 2 cm and from 5 to 7 years - 2.5 cm.

Which brush to choose - hard or soft?

In addition to the size of the brush, the degree of its rigidity is of great importance. It must also be indicated on the packaging of the product. For children over 1 year old, with healthy gums and strong tooth enamel, doctors recommend buying harder brushes, as they not only perform their main function during operation, but also massage the child’s gums well. However, care must be taken when using them.

If the gums are weak and prone to bleeding, then the best option will purchase a soft brush. In case of doubts that have arisen among parents about the condition of the enamel and gums of the child, you should opt for brushes of medium hardness. It will be, so to speak, a win-win option.

Do you prefer natural or artificial brushes?

And finally, many parents attach great importance to what material the first toothbrush is made of - natural or synthetic. Oddly enough, but most dentists prefer the latter.

• Firstly (and most importantly), harmful bacteria do not multiply in such brushes.
• Secondly, plastic bristles, unlike natural ones, do not break or crumble, leaving small solid particles in the child's mouth.
• And thirdly, brushes made of artificial materials are much more durable than their natural counterparts.

Have you ever wondered how long ago the toothbrush and toothpaste appeared? It turns out that these simple everyday things have a long and rich history.

The very first prototype of a toothbrush was a twig ethereal tree, pointed on one side and soaked on the other. The pointed end was used to clean the teeth from food debris, the other side was chewed - thus plaque was removed. By the way, in some remote, untouched by progress, corners of the world, such sticks are still used.

This is what the very first toothbrush in history probably looked like

In ancient Egypt, oral hygiene was also observed. In tombs dating back to about 3000 BC, sticks with loose ends have been found. In addition to tooth sticks, they began to use something similar to toothpaste. In ancient Egyptian papyri, a recipe for a mixture of wine vinegar, pumice powder and ash left after burning the insides of a bull or cow has been preserved.

The ancient Egyptians took the issue of oral hygiene seriously: there is not a single confirmation of this.

Later, toothbrushes appeared in China. Unlike the ancient Egyptian tips, they were made of mint, which not only cleansed oral cavity but also freshened the breath. In the 14th century, tooth sticks were noticeably modernized. They were a bone or a bamboo twig with pig bristles attached. Instead of pasta, ground eggshells, ginseng extract, pine needles and salt were used.

Toothbrushes began to gain popularity and appeared in many countries.

In Europe, toothpicks made of gold, copper, or goose feather were used, but these were soon replaced by Chinese brushes. However, Europeans preferred horsehair to pig bristles because it was softer. Later, tooth powder appeared in England. It was made from clay fragments, brick powder and porcelain ground into dust; glycerin was added to improve the taste.

Toothbrushes of the 18th century were already quite similar to modern ones both externally and constructively.

Toothbrushes have also reached Russia. During the reign of Ivan 4, the boyars, after eating, took out their "tooth brooms" - a stick with a bunch of bristles at the end. Under Peter the Great, the nobility cleaned their teeth with crushed chalk, but ordinary people used birch coals to clean and disinfect their mouths.

In 1870, the tooth stick received an improved appearance very close to modern. They were all made of the same materials: animal bones and horsehair. Toothpaste also changed, acquiring a paste-like consistency and sold in tubes.

Toothbrushes got their modern look with the invention of nylon - a flexible, moisture-resistant, durable and affordable material.

Today, the variety and functionality of oral hygiene attributes is huge - electric, soft, hard, all colors of the rainbow and any size, and it all started with a simple wooden stick.

Maybe you've ever wondered how many times you can reinvent the toothbrush. Imagine that between 1963 and 1998, according to statistics, more than 3,000 toothbrush models were patented!
Our ancestors probably understood something about dental hygiene. Paleontologist Leslie Chlusko of the University of Illinois claims to have evidence of early humans using rudimentary toothpicks.

may be the result of erosion caused by repeated chafing of grass stems. Skeptics point out that modern toothpicks do not leave marks, but, according to Chlusko, the abrasive properties of grass are higher - because, unlike wood, it contains many hard silicon particles. Khlusko says that blades of grass would have left marks corresponding to the diameter of these pits - from one and a half millimeters to 2.6. Such blades of grass grew almost everywhere, and they practically did not need to be completed to turn them into a good toothpick.
It is believed that ancient hominins began to pick their teeth in an attempt to relieve the pain of dental disease. Chlusko experimented first with a baboon tooth, then with a human tooth, and in both cases she was able to leave marks almost identical to those found on fossil teeth.

It is known that toothpicks were popular in ancient China, Japan, India, Iran and other early Eastern civilizations. Usually they were made of mastic wood, sometimes - of gold or bronze.

The inconspicuous but very important history of the toothbrush begins with chewing.

flax records, which were used by the inhabitants of Babylon many centuries before the birth of Christ. The ancient writers were very enthusiastic about brushing their teeth, and according to their testimonies, a simple chewing plate evolved into a chewing stick the size of a modern pencil. Fans of cleanliness and hygiene chewed one end to form a wider cleaning surface, the other was used as a toothpick. By the way, the Romans kept special slaves for the complex task of brushing their teeth. This hygienic ritual was part of religious rites.

These sticks, the most primitive form of toothbrush, are still used by some Australian and African tribes and are reported to be as effective at cleaning as their modern counterparts.

The invention of the bristled brush in 1498 is credited to the Chinese. The bristles of a Siberian boar were attached to a bamboo or bone handle. Moreover, for such a case, the boar was shaved off only that "wool" that grew on the neck.

During the time of Ivan the Terrible in Rus', tooth "brooms" were in use - sticks with a bunch of bristles at the end, which the boyars used after a meal.

Peter I ordered the boyars to brush their teeth with crushed chalk and a damp cloth. And the people knew a different way: coals from birch wood perfectly whiten teeth. That's just the mouth to rinse after such cleaning should be especially careful.

Such a brush came to Europe in the seventeenth century and soon became widespread. Europeans brushing their teeth (and there were very few of them, because at that time the use of a brush was considered indecent, it was much more common to use a toothpick made of goose feather, gold or copper after eating), considered pig bristles too stiff and replaced her horsehair. According to written sources, French dentists, the most "advanced" experts in this field in Europe at that time, actively recommended the daily use of the toothbrush throughout the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Doctors working in colonized America also recommended its use.

Gradually natural hair was replaced by nylon, which was invented in 1937 in the laboratories of Dupont de Nemours. The first such brush appeared in 1938. But toothbrushes, even those with nylon bristles, remained very hard until DuPont improved the technology in 1950 and made the nylon bristles softer.

Oddly enough, the explosion in the hygiene industry, and in particular when it came to brushing your teeth, occurred during World War II thanks to the military and continued into the post-war era. The houses of Europe and America were literally flooded with all kinds of hygiene products. Rapidly developing technologies for the use of plastics made it possible to produce brushes of various colors and shapes.

The idea of ​​an electric toothbrush was proposed in 1880 by Dr. Scott. The hairs of "Dr. Scott's Electric Brush", according to the manufacturers, "possessed a constant electromagnetic field."
The first true mechanical toothbrush was patented in Switzerland after World War II and powered by electricity. In 1960, it appeared on the American market. And in 1961, General Electric introduced the first model with an autonomous power source. And although this thing seemed like an overkill to many, the electric toothbrush gained popularity very quickly. Later, various modifications appeared: a mechanical toothbrush with a built-in timer, a mechanical toothbrush with replaceable cleaning heads, etc.

In the 60s, in addition to mechanical brushes, electro-rotating ones appeared (Rotadent, Interplack, etc.). They work like manual brushes, but with increased abrasion, as they rotate at an average speed of 7000 strokes per minute or 58 Hz. These brushes are an order of magnitude more effective than manual ones, but if brushed too aggressively, they can damage the enamel.
In the 1990s, electric reciprocating brushes appeared, also working on the principle of abrasion, most of which exist on the market today.
Combining the results of 29 studies involving 2547 people from North America, Europe and Israel, American and British scientists concluded that only one type of electric toothbrush - Braun Oral-B, which performs rotational-oscillatory movements, is significantly more effective than a conventional manual toothbrush. .

But the most significant progress in more "gentle" cleaning of the teeth was achieved with the development of sonic toothbrushes (Braun Oral B-3D, Sonicart, Panasonic, etc.). They operate at an audio frequency, averaging 30,000 strokes per minute or 250 Hz, which allows for a deeper yet "gentle" foamy cleaning.
In the mid-90s, in the USA, Dr. Robert Bock developed and patented the Ultrasonex dual-frequency ultrasonic brush. This brush uses completely new technology based on ultrasound. The brush moves at a speed of 196,000,000 strokes per minute (or 1,600,000 Hz), which is more than 6,000 times faster than that of a sonic brush. In addition to ultrasonic, "foamy" sound frequency is also used - 18,000 movements per minute. The bacteria that make up plaque are arranged in chains and attached to the surface of the tooth. . Waves of therapeutic ultrasonic frequency of 1.6 MHz break these chains even under the gum (at the level of 5 mm) and destroy the method of attachment of bacteria, and the sound frequency of 18,000 movements per minute or 150 Hz, having a foaming effect, helps to gently remove this plaque.

A 12-week double-blind study at the Case Western Dental Institute, USA, in 2 groups of patients (group 1 - using a brush with an ultrasonic frequency, the 2nd - without ultrasound), showed that Ultrasonex with ultrasound was 200 % more effective in removing night plaque, 230% more effective in the treatment of gingivitis, 450% more effective in reducing gum bleeding.

Another distinctive feature of a modern toothbrush is rounded bristles. For many years, straight standard toothbrushes were recommended by dentists only because there was no technology to round every single hair. Round bristles are the least traumatic for oral tissues. Modern methods production allows you to create toothbrushes of various shapes, sizes and models.

Design and marketing thought has not left untouched a single centimeter of this tool, from a comfortable, non-slip handle, bent, floating, etc. heads to bristles of various shapes and functional purposes.

For example, Glasgow dentist Glen Heavenor invents ergonomic handles in his spare time. He already has handles for frying pans, combs, garden tools and a wrench, a baby stroller and a safety razor. But the dream of a dentist has always been, of course, the perfect toothbrush handle. According to Glen, we brush our teeth incorrectly, as we are simply uncomfortable doing it ourselves. effective way. But not a single invention was given to him with such difficulty as a toothbrush. The doctor was not afraid of being left without his main job, so he spent four years and a lot of his own savings on designing and testing an ergonomic brush. Now the prototype handle is finally ready, but needs further refinement. To encourage the design dentist, the National Support Group for Scientists, Inventors and Artists awarded him a grant of £75,000.

The most exotic toothbrush options:

Ionized brush, the action of which is based on the interaction of charges of opposite polarity

Dentrust 3-sided brush with two heads, allowing you to clean the tooth from three sides at once

B-Fresh Toothbrush w/ Toothpaste - a toothbrush for travelers, combined with a tube of toothpaste for compactness

Concept brush with disposable bristle head by Bould Design

O-zone toothbrush with a hole in the middle of the cleaning head for better rinsing

Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) is an opinion research company commissioned by the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program to promote innovation. The last survey was conducted in the USA in November 2002. To appreciate the importance of the toothbrush for mankind, it was included in the list of inventions vital to man. And who would have thought! The toothbrush has overtaken the car, the computer and the mobile phone.

It remains only to put a monument to the brush! Which, by the way, was done!
The Toothbrush Monument ("Paste, in a Cup, on a Sink: Portrait of Coosje" s Thinking ") was erected in 1983 in the German town of Krefeld by engineer J. Robert Jennings. Dimensions 6 x 2.8 x 0.2 meters Material - steel and cast iron painted with polyurethane enamel.