EP1080663A1 - Brosse a dents - Google Patents

Brosse a dents Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1080663A1
EP1080663A1 EP99919556A EP99919556A EP1080663A1 EP 1080663 A1 EP1080663 A1 EP 1080663A1 EP 99919556 A EP99919556 A EP 99919556A EP 99919556 A EP99919556 A EP 99919556A EP 1080663 A1 EP1080663 A1 EP 1080663A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tufting
holes
tufts
toothbrush
converging
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP99919556A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Atsushi Yamamoto
Shinya Sakurai
Kazushi Ebisudani
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sunstar Inc
Original Assignee
Sunstar Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from JP13081898A external-priority patent/JP3813734B2/ja
Priority claimed from JP11006923A external-priority patent/JP2000201739A/ja
Application filed by Sunstar Inc filed Critical Sunstar Inc
Publication of EP1080663A1 publication Critical patent/EP1080663A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
    • A46B9/02—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
    • A46B9/04—Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
    • A46B9/02—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
    • A46B9/04—Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
    • A46B9/045—Arranged like in or for toothbrushes specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously

Definitions

  • the present invention pertains to a toothbrush with excellent ability to clean, interdental spaces and a cervical portion of a tooth, and excellent ability to clean smooth surfaces, such as the tooth surface, etc.
  • a toothbrush cleans, that is, brushes, teeth inside the oral cavity using the resiliency of the monofilaments of the tufts implanted in the tufting holes of the handle. Since the cleaning results increase with an increase in resiliency, there is a demand for a toothbrush with high resiliency, basically in the direction of brushing. Moreover, there is also a need for a toothbrush that can adapt to the state of the site to be cleaned in order to manifest cleaning activity specific for each individual site. There are various types of cleaning capabilities in response to the state of the site to be cleaned, but typical examples are the ability to clean the tooth surface, which is a smooth surface, and the ability to clean the tight spaces of the tooth.
  • the tight spaces include the interdental spaces and the cervical portion of the tooth, as well as the occlusal surfaces, etc., and of these, food residue and plaque easily accumulate in the interdental space, which is an interproximal site. This is often a cause of caries and periodontal disease. Therefore, the ability to clean interdental space is particularly important.
  • there is the general problem of improving the resiliency of a toothbrush and at the same time, there is the problem of improving interdental cleaning activity while retaining smooth surface cleaning activity, and a toothbrush that can solve these problems is needed.
  • the toothbrush disclosed by the present applicant with a publication of unexamined application No. 9-149815 is an example of that was developed in line with this purpose.
  • This toothbrush is characterized in that of the tufts comprising the tufting part, one or more tufts has an almost elliptic cross section, which spreads out in width in the direction of handle length, with their end portions converge in the shape of a roof.
  • the structure whereby adjacent fibers are inclined so that they support one another and the tufts touch at their end portions to make a part where the tufts converge together is a special technique for improving insertion of tufts into Interdental space.
  • This tuft converging part has high density and a strong tuft stiffness, and the tufts are not loose bundles. Consequently, there is an advantage in that by designing the toothbrush so that the direction in which the tufts support one another corresponds to the brushing direction, a toothbrush is obtained that has excellent capability of being inserted into tight spaces, such as interdental space and a cervical portion of the tooth, and improved capability of cleaning these places.
  • the toothbrush of the present invention is characterized in that the tufting holes formed in the tufting part are almost elliptic or almost rectangular and these tufting holes are inclined toward the tufting surface.
  • the tufts are fixed in the tufting holes using an anchor.
  • the tufting holes are almost elliptic or almost rectangular and are inclined toward the tufting and therefore, the tufts that have been embedded become tufts with an almost elliptic or almost rectangular cross section that are inclined toward the tufting surface.
  • tufting holes are almost elliptic or almost rectangular and the number of filaments that are clustered together to form the tufts differs in the direction of greater width of the tufts and in the direction of narrower width of the tufts and therefore, tuft stiffness is different depending on the direction. Consequently, by designing the lengthwise direction of the tufting holes taking the brushing method into consideration, it is possible to obtain good tuft stiffness and realize superior cleaning activity.
  • tuft stiffness used here Is the property that is realized from the extent of resiliency (restitutive force) that comes into play when pressure is applied and the tuft deforms.
  • a converging part with high resiliency is formed at the end portion in an converging block of tufts that is formed when the inclined tufts themselves support one another.
  • This end portion part can be easily inserted into tight spaces such as interdental space and a cervical portion of the tooth, etc., and therefore, these spaces can be firmly brushed by the inserted tufts.
  • the contact resistance when the tufts first touch the tooth can - be minimized because the tufts are streamlined.
  • the direction of the tufting holes that are almost elliptic or almost rectangular is determined in accordance with the brushing procedure.
  • the lengthwise direction of the tufting holes is along the direction of handle length by the scrubbing method or the Bass method that is mainly back-and-forth movement in the direction of handle length.
  • the term "along the direction of handle length” here includes both the state of being parallel to the direction of handle length and the state of slight inclination to the direction of handle length.
  • both ends of the tuft in the direction of handle length form a curved, narrow peak and therefore, the monofilaments can easily penetrate interdental space, improving cleaning activity even further, when teeth are brushed by the scrubbing method.
  • the tufting holes be inclined toward the inside, facing one another, to make tufts that form pairs and that there be at least one of these tuft pairs.
  • Inclination toward the vertical direction of the tufting holes should be set within a range of 2 to 10°.
  • the monofilaments comprising the tufts embedded in the tufting holes can also have a round cross section, but a rectangular cross section is preferred.
  • a rectangular cross section is preferred.
  • resiliency of the monofilament when brushing is performed by the scrubbing method can be further improved.
  • the irritation that is felt in the oral cavity is related to the cross sectional area of the monofilament. The irritation can be reduced when the cross sectional area of the monofilaments is small.
  • the tufts that are embedded in the inclined tufting holes form a pair of converging blocks where two tufts facing one another lean against one another and that there be several of these converging blocks.
  • each tuft should be worked into a V-shape in order to improve tight-space cleaning performance.
  • the end portion By making the end portion into a V-shape, tight-space cleaning performance can be further improved.
  • tight-space cleaning performance in the direction of handle length and tight-space cleaning performance in the direction of handle width can be improved.
  • the number of filaments per each tuft that comprises the V-shape is more than conventional toothbrushes where 1 V-shape is formed from 2 tufts, and tuft resiliency is very strong.
  • the number and arrangement of converging blocks that form a pair and are made with the tufts supporting one another can be selected as needed, but it is preferred that there at least be a converging block at the front end or the back end in the direction of handle length.
  • next row of converging blocks be behind the space that is formed between the converging blocks in the previous row in the direction of handle length.
  • a smooth surface such as a tooth surface, etc., will be brushed over its entire area by the end portion of a stiff converging block having excellent brushing power.
  • Tufts are folded in the middle in a lengthwise direction and then embedded in the tufting holes with an anchor that is as long as the cross section of this fold, and the tufts are thereby fixed and supported in the tufting holes.
  • the anchor is driven into the tufting hole so that the opening surface area of the tufting hole is divided into two equal parts, being almost parallel to the long or the short side of the tufting hole.
  • the anchor should be within ⁇ 10° to the center line along the lengthwise direction of the above-mentioned tufting holes.
  • the anchors when the anchors are driven [into tufting holes] in this position, they will be in almost a straight line [on the tufting base] and as a result, there is a strong chance that cracks will be made starting where the anchor is driven [into the hole].
  • the tufting holes can be made so that the centers of the tufting holes do not form a straight line in the direction of handle length.
  • the tufting holes should account for 10 to 30 mm in the direction of handle length and 5 to 15 mm in the direction of handle width. By specifying how much space on the handle is occupied by tufting holes, it is possible to eventually specify the tuft brushing area. If the area occupied by the tufting holes is within the above-mentioned range, there will be an increase in the smooth surface, such as anterior teeth, etc., that can be efficiently brushed without any reduction in maneuverability inside the oral cavity.
  • the short side of the tufting holes should be 0.8 to 2.0 mm and the long side of the tufting holes should be 1.5 to 5.0 mm. If the dimensions of one tufting hole are within this range, the size of the end portion of the converging part that is made when adjacent tufts support one another is optimal for realizing both smooth-surface cleaning performance and tight-space cleaning performance.
  • the distance between the base of the pair of tufts that form a converging block should be within a range of 0.2 to 4.0 mm.
  • a toothbrush will be considered as an actual toothbrush obtained in this way where there are 5 rows of tufts in the lengthwise direction of the tufting base, with Rows 1 and 5 forming one converging block in the center in the direction of width of the tufting base, Rows 2 and 4 forming 2 converging blocks on either side sandwiching the center in the direction of width of the tufting base, and Row 3 forming one converging block at the center in the direction of width of the converging block, and there is 1 independent tuft, each inclined so that it is in the same direction as the tufts that form the above-mentioned converging blocks, but its end portion does not touch the converging blocks, to the outside of the above-mentioned converging blocks.
  • Figure 1 is a plane view showing the entire structure of the toothbrush of the present invention
  • Figure 2 is an oblique view showing the tufting part of a typical example of the present invention
  • Figure 3 is a plane view of the same tufting part
  • Figure 4 is a left view showing the same tufting part from the front end.
  • Figure 6 is a plane view showing the shape and arrangement of the tufting holes made in the tufting base
  • Figure 7 is the I-I cross section in Figure 6
  • Figure 8 is the II-II cross section in Figure 6
  • Figure 9 is the III-III cross section in Figure 6
  • Figure 10 is a IV-IV cross section in Figure 6
  • Figure 11 is the V-V cross section in Figure 6
  • Figure 12 is the anchor driven into the tufting holes and is a diagram explaining how the holes into which this anchor is driven are arranged
  • Figure 13 is a diagram that shows the anchor driven Into the tufting holes and describes how the holes into which this anchor is driven are arranged
  • Figure 14 is a diagram showing the anchor driven into the tufting holes in a conventional toothbrush and explains how the tufting holes into which this anchor have been driven are arranged
  • Figure 15 is a diagram representing a V-shaped tuft end portion
  • Figure 16 is a different type of V-shape
  • Figure 17 is a different type of V-shape
  • lengthwise direction in the following description means the direction of handle length and direction of width means the direction of handle width.
  • the direction of handle length is the same as the direction of tufting base length and the direction of handle width is the same as the direction of tufting base width.
  • Figure 1 shows the handle before the tufts have been implanted.
  • the toothbrush of the present invention is characterized by the state of the tufting part shown by A in the figure, and neck B and grip C can have any shape.
  • the structure of tufting part A is explained below.
  • the toothbrush of the present invention is characterized in that the openings for the tufting holes formed in the tufting part are almost elliptic or almost rectangular and the holes are inclined toward the tufting surface. What is important here is that the tufting holes are almost elliptic or almost rectangular and as a result, there is a difference in resiliency during brushing in the direction of length and the direction of width of the tufting holes and strong resiliency is obtained in the direction of length of the tufting holes. Furthermore, in addition to this, the tufting holes are inclined and the end portions of the tufts that have been implanted in these tufting holes converge in the direction of inclination, improving the capability to clean tight spaces (referred to below as tight-space cleaning capability).
  • the tufts implanted in the tufting holes are made from bundles of monofilaments.
  • Figure 2 shows the appearance of a tufting part of a typical example
  • Figure 3 is a plane view of the tufting part
  • Figure 4 is a front view
  • Figure 5 is a side view of the tufting part as seen from the front end.
  • tile tufting holes are rectangular and monofilaments with a round cross section are used.
  • Tufts 11, 12, 21 to 24, 31 to 34, 41 to 44, 51 and 53 are arranged in 5 rows in the lengthwise direction in tufting part A and there is at most 1 row of tufts in the direction of width. Moreover, the vertical cross section of the tufting holes in which these tufts have been planted is represented by attaching an "a" to the symbols for the corresponding tuft.
  • Each tuft is implanted in the direction of handle length from rectangular tufting holes with their long sides matching.
  • Adjacent tufts that face one another are inclined inward in the direction of width of tufting base 1 so that a pair of tufts facing one another forms a unit and a block of tufts that converge at the end portions (referred to a converging block R) is made.
  • the converging blocks R are spaced so that these converging blocks R are alternately formed at the front row and the back row in order to uniformly clean the entire tooth surface, which is a smooth surface, when the tooth is brushed by moving the handle back and forth in the lengthwise direction.
  • tufts 32 and 33 are inclined inward toward one another at the center row of the handle in its lengthwise direction and tufts 31 and 34 that are on the outside form isolated tufts.
  • tufts 31 and 34 are inclined toward the inside somewhat, but they can also be standing straight up.
  • distance W between adjacent converging blocks R and R In the direction of width of the tufting base is somewhat narrower than the average width of a tooth, and when brushing is performed by moving the handle back and forth in the lengthwise direction, the tooth that is to be cleaned is thereby sandwiched between converging blocks R and the surface on both sides of the tooth can be thoroughly cleaned.
  • Inclination of the tufts is accomplished by inclining the tufting hole itself and then pressing and fixing the tufts in the inclined tufting hole using an anchor.
  • the inclined position of the tuft can be firmly maintained, even if force that would collapse the inclined tuft is repeatedly applied during brushing.
  • Figures 6 through 11 show the inclined state of the tufting boles.
  • Figure 6 shows how the tufting holes are arranged in tufting base 1
  • Figures 7 through 11 show the cross section of each of 5 rows that are made in the lengthwise direction of the tufting base.
  • the angle of inclination of the tufting holes should be based on tuft stiffness that is to be obtained, but it is usually set within a range of 2 to 10° with respect to the vertical direction of the inclined holes.
  • the bristles must be extremely long for the end portion of the tufts facing each other to come into contact if the inclination is less than 2°, which is undesirable.
  • an inclination greater than 100 makes handle molding difficult.
  • the distance at the base between the tufts that form converging blocks R should be within a range of 0.2 to 40 mm.
  • the angle of inclination of the tufting holes can vary with the position at which converging block R Is formed, or it can be the same as in the present example.
  • the ability to penetrate the tight interdental spaces can be improved further by making the end portion of the tufts into a V-shape with an inclined face along the long side of the tufting holes.
  • an end portion with a sharp V-shape is employed, the ability of the toothbrush to brush out plaque and food sediment that has penetrated tight spaces is improved.
  • the dimensions of rectangular tufting holes are a short side S of 0.8 to 2.0 mm and a long side L of 1.5 to 5.0 mm, as shown in Figure 2.
  • the surface pressure applied directly to the tooth surface is dependent on the shape of the end portion of the tuft, but if the dimensions of the tufting holes are smaller than the above-mentioned range, insufficient force will be transmitted to the end portions of the tufts.
  • the reason for using rectangular holes as the tufting holes is that good stiffness In accordance with the brushing direction can be obtained when there is a difference in the number of filaments clustered together depending on the direction and as a result, resiliency, that is, stiffness, when pressure is applied to the tuft is given directivity.
  • resiliency that is, stiffness, when pressure is applied to the tuft is given directivity.
  • the space occupied by the tufting holes is set at 10 to 30 mm in the direction of handle length and 5 to 15 mm in the direction of handle width. If the tufting holes account for less than this amount of space, the tooth surface contact area will be small and there will be a reduction in cleaning efficiency.
  • the tufts are fixed in tile tufting holes by driving an anchor into the hole as with conventional toothbrushes.
  • the anchor is a 1.6 mm x 0.22 mm metal strip. This strip is sandwiched with a tuft that has been folded into a U shape and driven into the tufting hole with the tuft and both ends of the anchor in its lengthwise direction are wedged into the wall around the tufting hole to fix the tuft in the tufting hole.
  • Figure 15 represents the end portion of a tuft that has been worked into a V-shape.
  • inclined faces r and r along the peak are in the direction of width of the tuft.
  • the present example is also characterized in that an angular peak is made by 1 tuft. Slopes r and r toward the angular peak intersect in the direction in which the tufts support one another so that inclined faces of a V-shape are obtained.
  • the end portions are squeezed In the direction in which they intersect the above-mentioned direction of convergence from the V-shape and as a result, the end portions can be inserted into tight spaces when used for brushing by moving the handle up and down or to the left and right, and a sharp, stiff end portion is realized, making it possible to efficiently remove food sediment and plague.
  • the slope toward the angular peak can also be formed in the direction in which the tufts support one another. This shape can be any shape as long as it falls under the category of V-shaped.
  • the embodiment in Figure 16 where the front and back faces in the direction in which the tufts support one another are the inclined faces that form trapezoidal inclined face r1
  • the embodiment in Figure 18 where a right triangle-shaped inclined face r3 is formed, etc. can be used.
  • the toothbrush of the present Invention is excellent in terms of its cleaning activity on smooth surface Z1, and it has excellent cleaning activity for interdental site A2, which is the part between adjacent teeth, occlusal surface Z3 of a molar tooth, etc., and a cervical portion of the tooth Z4 shown by Figures 20 and 21.
  • interdental site A2 is the part between adjacent teeth, occlusal surface Z3 of a molar tooth, etc., and a cervical portion of the tooth Z4 shown by Figures 20 and 21.
  • particularly good cleaning activity that should be emphasized is realized at interdental part Z2.
  • FIG. 20 cleaning of the tooth surface with the toothbrush of the present example is shown in Figure 20.
  • the converging block When the toothbrush is pressed on the tooth surface, deforming force is applied to the tufts, but the converging block has tufts facing one another that support their inclined position and reinforce their shape and therefore, even if they are deformed, the tufts can recover and there will be no early reduction in brushing performance during the use of the toothbrush.
  • Figure 21 shows cervical surface Z4 being cleaned. Food sediment and plaque that have deposited on the cervical portion of the tooth can be effectively brushed away because the end portion where the converging block converges is pushed into the cervical portion of the tooth, as shown in the figure.
  • interdental space Z2 can be cleaned by moving the toothbrush up and down, but it is also possible to perform this back and forth movement so that the length of the handle is along the direction of the tooth row or is perpendicular to the direction of the tooth row.
  • using a tuft end portion that has a V-shape is very effective for improving tile ability to insert the tuft end portion into interdental spaces.
  • the end portion of the tuft can be inserted between the teeth and the sediment between the teeth wiped away because the end portion of the tufts that support one another converge.
  • Figure 22 is a figure showing occlusal surface Z3 of a molar being brushed with the third row of tufts on the tufting base.
  • the tuft end portion where converging block R, which is made from 2 tufts supporting one another on the inside, converges is inserted deep into the grooves formed in occlusal surface Z3 and the sediment on occlusal surface Z3 is wiped away with the stiff end portion, while the two tufts to the outside enclose around the molar and brush off both sides of the molar.
  • the toothbrush of the present example has the following characteristic cleaning effects. For instance, taking into consideration the case where molars, etc., are to be brushed, the mechanism shown in Figure 23 comes into play. For instance, when an occlusal surface is brushed along the row of teeth, the molar is first touched by converging block R1 of the first row at the first position shown by P1 in the figure and the front surface in the forward direction is cleaned. Once the occlusal surface has been cleaned by converging block R1, which has run up onto the occlusal surface, the second row of tufts moves to second position P2 shown by the imaginary line in the figure as it is pushed to either side of the molar to be cleaned.
  • the second, third and fourth row of tufts comprising the tufting part have a structure where there are 2 pairs of converging blocks, or there is one pair of converging blocks in the center and there is one tuft inclined slightly to the inside on either side.
  • the structure of the rows of tufts is not limited to this example.
  • the structure of some of each row of tufts can be such that the tufts on both sides of the row are inclined to the outside, as shown in Figure 24(a), or such that there are no converging blocks and all 4 tufts are inclined to the outside, as shown in Figure 24(b).
  • the present inventors confirmed the cleaning effects of the toothbrush of the present example by comparison with a conventional toothbrush using a dental study model to study smooth-surface cleaning performance and tight-space cleaning performance.
  • a toothbrush with the tufting pattern shown in Figure 2 (this is referred to below as Trial Product 1) was used as the toothbrush representing the present invention in the comparisons, while popular commercial toothbrushes were used as the object of comparison.
  • Commercial products A and B were employed as the toothbrushes to be compared (referred to be low as comparative product).
  • Comparative product A had almost rectangular tufting holes and a V-shape formed by two tufts.
  • Comparative Product B had almost rectangular tufting holes and tuft pattern of steps of tufts with different lengths for each tufting hole in the direction of handle length.
  • the lower right first molar was selected as the site for comparison of cleaning activity.
  • tight-space cleaning performance means the ability to clean indentations, such as spaces between the teeth, the cervical portion of the tooth, an occlusal surface, etc.
  • interproximal-surface cleaning performance which is the ability to clean the interdental space
  • a dental study model was used for the above-mentioned comparative study, but the inventors also performed clinical trials using the above-mentioned Trial Product and the above-mentioned Comparative Product A at a university school of dentistry in order to confirm in detail the effects when actually used on the oral cavity.
  • 21 subjects were obligated to brush their teeth two or more times a day for 7 days and the amount of plaque before and after brushing was measured and plaque removal efficiency by brushing was evaluated.
  • the Trial Product of the present invention provided better results than Comparative Product A for all parts studied. Moreover, it was confirmed that the difference between the toothbrushes was significant (level of significance P ⁇ 0.05) for all parts studied except the lower jaw.
  • This toothbrush has 1 tufting hole 100, two tufting holes 110 and 120, and three tufting holes 130, 140 and 150 from the end portion side in the direction of length of the tufting base.
  • Tufting hole 100 at the end portion and tufting hole 140 in the middle of the 3 tufting holes at the back are perpendicular holes, while 2 tufting boles 110 and 120 of the second row face inside (toward the center of the tufting base), inclined at an angle of 3°, and tufting holes 130 and 150, on either side of above-mentioned tufting hole 140 in the middle at the back end are each inclined at an angle of 3° toward the inside and monofilaments with a rectangular cross section are tufted in these tufting holes.
  • the small rectangular cluster in each tufting hole is a cluster of monofilaments and an anchor is seen intersecting along the lengthwise direction in the center in the direction of width of each tufting hole.
  • the subject of the present example is a toothbrush where the tufting holes are elliptic, but tufting holes that are almost elliptic are included in the concept of almost elliptic defined by the invention of the present application, and in addition to elliptic tufting hole 110 shown in Figure 33, tufting hole 100' that is almost elliptic shown in Figure 34 is included in the concept of almost elliptic.
  • the present example differs from the above-mentioned example in that in contrast to the fact that monofilaments with a round cross section are implanted in rectangular tufting hole 100'', as shown in Figure 32, in the above-mentioned example, monofilaments with a rectangular cross section are implanted in a tufting hole that is inclined and has an elliptic or oval-shaped opening in the present example.
  • the toothbrush is molded using an injection molding and the tufting base in which the tufting holes have been formed is molded by filling molten synthetic resin into a cavity for molding the tufting base in the mold. Pins for forming the tufting holes are planted in the cavity and the molten synthetic resin flows around these pins for forming the tufting holes. Once the synthetic resin has cured, the mold is opened and the pins for molding the tufting holes are at the same time removed to form the tufting holes. Tufting holes are molded in this way.
  • Pins that correspond to the shape of the tufting holes to be made can be used for the pin for forming the tufting holes, but the state in which the molten synthetic resin will flow around the pin varies with the shape of this pin used to form the tufting holes and this will affect cracking of the tufting base. For instance, when tufting holes that are rectangular in shape are used, pins 200 for forming tufting holes will have angles 201, as shown in Figure 35.
  • the direction of length of the rectangular surface was made the same as the direction of handle length using monofilaments with a rectangular cross section and therefore, when the method of brushing by moving the handle back and forth in its lengthwise direction is used, the resiliency of the tuft is very high. Moreover, since the tuft on either side in the direction of width of the tufting base is inclined toward the inside, there is no separation of monofilaments during brushing and resiliency of the monofilaments is efficiently realized.
  • the inventors performed studies on how resiliency during brushing is affected by inclination of the tufting holes and by different cross sections of monofilaments in toothbrushes with elliptic tufting holes.
  • the experiments were performed using Trial Product 2 of this example and Comparative Products C, D and E in which monofilaments with a round cross section were implanted in order to compare resiliency of the monofilaments of these toothbrushes.
  • the shape and arrangement of the tufting holes of all but Comparative Example 3 were the same as shown by Figure 30, and the number of tufting holes used for Comparative Product C was 17.
  • the tufting holes of Comparative Product C were vertical holes with a round cross section having a diameter of 0.190 mm
  • the tufting holes of Comparative Product D were vertical holes with a round cross section having a diameter of 0.160 mm
  • the tufting holes of Comparative Product E were vertical tufting holes with a rectangular cross section of 0.254 mm x 0.162 mm
  • the tufting holes of Trial Product 2 of the present example were tufting holes with a rectangular cross section of 0.254 mm x 0.162 mm.
  • Four tufting holes placed on the outside in the direction of tufting base width were inclined inside at 3°, as shown by Figure 30.
  • Resiliency was measured as "resiliency per surface area in the direction of handle length” and “resiliency per unit surface area in the direction of handle width. These two types of resiliency were compared and are represented as the "ratio of resiliency in the direction of length and in the direction of width.” Resiliency of the monofilaments was calculated by international standards (ISO). The reaction force that was produced when resistance was applied to 1/3 the length of the monofilament for elastic deformation was measured and is represented In units newton (N). The results are shown in Table 4.
  • Trial Product 2 of the present invention provides less resiliency per unit surface area in the direction of handle width than did Comparative Products C, D and E, there is not an absolute increase in resiliency of the toothbrush of Trial Product 2 in comparison to Comparative Products C, D, and E, but instead, an increase in resiliency in the direction of handle length can be expected because distribution of resiliency that is applied in the direction of handle length and of handle width is changed and as a result, cleaning effects are improved without increasing irritation of the tissue of the oral cavity.
  • the toothbrush of the present example is a toothbrush that is ideal for the scrubbing method.
  • the toothbrush of the present example uses tufting holes that are elliptic, cracking of the parts between adjacent holes in the tufting base will hardly occur and there is therefore no fear of cracking, even if an anchor is driven into this part. Consequently, as shown in Figure 30, by means of the toothbrush of the present example, an anchor can be driven into the tufting hole along the lengthwise direction of the tufting hole at the center of the tufting hole in its direction of width extending along the direction of handle length and therefore, tufts can be implanted symmetrically, to the left and right of the center in the direction of width of the tufting hole, as shown in Figure 33, making it possible to realize uniform density of monofilaments on both sides of the anchor. Consequently, all of the monofilaments can be brought to face almost perpendicular to the tufting surface to obtain a good raised effect and a beautiful toothbrush.
  • the inventors studies how the raised effect (appearance) of the monofilaments is affected by a difference in the tufting hole shape and the cross sectional shape of the monofilaments and a difference in the direction in which the anchor is driven into the tufting hole and evaluated the raised effect (appearance).
  • the results are shown in Table 5.
  • a Through f in Table 5 are conventional toothbrushes, g is a toothbrush of the present example, and h is an example where the shape of the tufting hole is the same as in above-mentioned g, but the anchor is inclined and driven into the hole at an inclination of 15° to the direction of handle length.
  • the raised effect is good when the anchor is driven into a elliptic tufting hole along the direction of length of the handle, the raised effect is somewhat inferior if the anchor is driven into the hole so that it intersects the direction of length of the handle at an angle of 15°.
  • the raised appearance was poor if the anchor was driven into the hole intersecting the lengthwise direction of the handle, but the raised effect was good and appearance was good with the toothbrush of the present example where the anchor was driven parallel to the direction of handle length.
  • the toothbrush of the present invention can provide a difference in tuft resiliency in the longitudinal and latitudinal directions of the tufting holes because the tufting holes are almost elliptic or almost rectangular and therefore, cleaning effects can be improved by adjusting the direction along the long side of the holes. Moreover, since the tufting holes are inclined toward the tufting surface, brushing power in a specific direction can be improved by controlling the direction of inclination. In addition, since the tufting boles themselves are inclined, the above-mentioned inclined position will not collapse and stable brushing force can be obtained over long periods of time, even with repeated application of pressure with brushing.
  • a toothbrush with both tight-space cleaning performance for interdental spaces, the cervical portion of the tooth and occlusal surfaces and smooth-surface cleaning performance for a tooth surface can be obtained by designing the lengthwise direction of the tufting holes and the direction of inclination of the tufts to match the brushing direction.
  • the tufting holes are almost elliptic holes, the contact resistance when the tufts first touch the tooth can be minimized because the tufts are streamlined, and the narrow monofilaments at both ends in the lengthwise direction of the tufting holes can be easily introduced to interdental space, improving cleaning effects even further.
  • the tufts implanted in these tufting holes will support one another and reinforce tuft stiffness. Moreover, their end portions converge and as a result, a toothbrush can be presented with which the tufts can be inserted into tight spaces, including interdental spaces, the cervical portion of the tooth, and the occlusal surface, and the food sediment and plaque that has accumulated in these sites can be forcibly removed.
  • a toothbrush is obtained with which optimum pressure can be applied to interdental spaces, the cervical portion of the tooth and occlusal surfaces, and the degree to which the end portions of the tufts converge is optimized and there is excellent insertion into interdental space, etc.
  • the monofilaments comprising the tufts that are to be implanted in the tufting holes have a rectangular cross section and the direction of the long side of this cross sectional shape is along the lengthwise direction of the tufting holes, resiliency of the monofilaments in the lengthwise direction of the tufting holes can be increased and toothbrush cleaning power can be improved even further.
  • the cross sectional area for realizing the same resiliency is small in comparison to monofilaments with a round cross section, irritation of oral cavity tissues is also minimized.
  • the tufting part When converging blocks are made when a pair of tufts that face one another support each other and a plurality of this type of converging block is made, the tufting part will have excellent tight-space cleaning capability and there will be a plurality of places where tuft stiffness is realized, resulting in more efficient brushing.
  • the centers of the tufting holes are such that they are not lined up on one straight line in the direction of handle length, cracking can be prevented. Consequently, the tufting holes can be big and adjacent tufting holes can be close to one another.
  • tufting holes account for 10 to 30 mm in the direction of handle length and 5 to 15 mm in the direction of handle width, a smooth surface can be efficiently brushed with no reduction in maneuverability inside the oral cavity.
  • the size of the end portion of the converged part that is formed by the tufts supporting one another is ideal in terms of realizing both smooth-surface and tight-space cleaning performance.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Dentistry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Brushes (AREA)
EP99919556A 1998-05-13 1999-05-12 Brosse a dents Withdrawn EP1080663A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP13081898 1998-05-13
JP13081898A JP3813734B2 (ja) 1998-05-13 1998-05-13 歯ブラシ
JP11006923A JP2000201739A (ja) 1999-01-13 1999-01-13 歯ブラシ
JP692399 1999-01-13
PCT/JP1999/002469 WO1999058019A1 (fr) 1998-05-13 1999-05-12 Brosse a dents

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1080663A1 true EP1080663A1 (fr) 2001-03-07

Family

ID=26341147

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99919556A Withdrawn EP1080663A1 (fr) 1998-05-13 1999-05-12 Brosse a dents

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1080663A1 (fr)
KR (1) KR100581613B1 (fr)
CN (1) CN1148131C (fr)
CA (1) CA2331186A1 (fr)
ID (1) ID28002A (fr)
WO (1) WO1999058019A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1800562A1 (fr) * 2005-08-24 2007-06-27 Curaden International AG Systeme de brosses

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7934284B2 (en) * 2003-02-11 2011-05-03 Braun Gmbh Toothbrushes
USD753922S1 (en) 2013-12-16 2016-04-19 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD764805S1 (en) 2013-12-16 2016-08-30 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD765984S1 (en) 2013-12-16 2016-09-13 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD764175S1 (en) 2013-12-16 2016-08-23 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD765986S1 (en) 2013-12-16 2016-09-13 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
JP2021007554A (ja) * 2019-06-28 2021-01-28 サンスター株式会社 歯ブラシ

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5934209A (ja) * 1982-08-20 1984-02-24 岡崎　健一 歯ブラシ
JPH026822Y2 (fr) * 1985-12-23 1990-02-19
AU685493B2 (en) * 1993-09-02 1998-01-22 Lingner & Fischer Gmbh Bristle arrangement for a toothbrush

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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Title
See references of WO9958019A1 *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1800562A1 (fr) * 2005-08-24 2007-06-27 Curaden International AG Systeme de brosses

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
KR20010071168A (ko) 2001-07-28
CA2331186A1 (fr) 1999-11-18
WO1999058019A1 (fr) 1999-11-18
KR100581613B1 (ko) 2006-05-22
CN1299245A (zh) 2001-06-13
ID28002A (id) 2001-05-03
CN1148131C (zh) 2004-05-05

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