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Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

HYGIENE TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper · U.S. Edition g HT page 3D By Emily Sutter, RDH, BS The evolution of the toothbrush The toothbrush is an essential tool that is used for the care of our teeth. Have you ever missed brushing your teeth for one day? Have you ever con- sidered what it would be like without the toothbrush? Like many common household items, we give little thought about the origins or the trials and tribula- tions these products went through to arrive at their modern form. The toothbrush is no exception. There is no single person cred- ited as being the sole inventor of the toothbrush. Actually, the toothbrush evolved over time and mainly out of necessity. Traces of the first toothbrush can be dated back as early as 3500 B.C.E. (before common era) and were thought to be used by the Egyptians and Babylonians. This piece of tooth- brush history proves that this device is one of the oldest still used by man. The primitive form of the toothbrush was found in the pyramids of the Egyptians. These ancient civilizations used a “chew stick” to clean their teeth. This consisted of chewing on one end of the stick until the fibers of the wood formed a brush. These chewing sticks were made out of Salvadora persica branches, which were believed to have healing and antiseptic qualities. The Chinese are credited with inventing the first bristle toothbrush, similar to the type used today. In the late 15th century, the Chinese took the hairs of Siberian wild boar and manipulated them onto bam- boo sticks, one of the most common plants from that region. These bam- boo sticks were then used just like a modern manual toothbrush to clean the teeth. Eventually, the Chinese version of the toothbrush made its way to Europe. One of the biggest down- sides to using the Siberian wild boar hair was the fact that it was very rough on the gums. Because of this, some people began to use the hair found on the back of horses to create the bristles on their brushes because this was gentler on their gums and teeth. Despite the added softness of the horsehair bristles, the boar-hair sticks were more commonly used because horses were too valuable to Europeans during this era. An alternative method Europeans used to clean their teeth was known as the Greek way. It consisted of rub- March 2011 www.dental-tribune.com Vol. 4, No. 3 (Photo/www.dreamstime.com) A Parisian woman in 1899 brush- ing her teeth in the morning. (Photo/PD-GermanGov, a public domain image from Germany) bing ones teeth with a linen cloth or sponge dipped in sulfur oils and salt solutions. Sometimes these cloths were attached to a stick to help reach posterior teeth. One could argue that the teeth were being mopped rather than being brushed. Essentially, during this era most Europeans still did not brush their teeth. The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and the American Dental Association (ADA) have teamed up to support school nurses in their efforts to promote awareness of oral health in schools. The 2011 campaign, Empower- ing School Nurses to Change Oral Health Perceptions, is funded by a $160,000 grant to NASN from the DentaQuest Foundation. The campaign, which will be primarily web-based and free to the public, will be launched this summer. The goal of this initiative is to provide school nurses with oral health resources and messages that can be distributed for use in class- rooms and health offices. “School nurses work to ensure that students are healthy and ready to learn. Since 98 percent of chil- dren spend their days in school, addressing oral health through the school nurse makes sense,” said Amy Garcia, executive director of NASN. The campaign will comple- ment ADA’s existing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of oral health in communities across the country. Each February, ADA reach- es millions through its National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM). NASN will work with ADA to help distribute NCDHM materials and to develop new mate- rials as needed. A needs assessment of school nurses will be conducted in Febru- ary to help NASN and ADA deter- mine the resources that will be most beneficial in schools. Another goal of the program will Nursing association, ADA pursue oral health awareness campaign g HT page 2D