When was the toothbrush invented?
Quick Answer
The first bristle toothbrush is recorded in China in 1498, made of coarse hog hairs set in bone or bamboo. William Addis began mass-producing toothbrushes in England after 1780, and nylon bristles arrived in 1938.
The Full Story
People cleaned their teeth long before the toothbrush: Babylonians and Egyptians chewed frayed twigs called chew sticks as early as about 3500 to 3000 BCE. The first bristle toothbrush appeared in China in 1498, using stiff hairs from the necks of hogs attached to a handle of bone or bamboo. The idea later reached Europe. In 1780, while in Newgate prison in London, William Addis is said to have made a brush by boring holes in a small bone and fixing bristles into them. After his release he started a business that mass-produced toothbrushes. In 1938 DuPont introduced nylon bristles, sold as Dr. West's Miracle Toothbrush, which dried faster and were more hygienic than animal hair.
Key Facts
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