The toothbrush is a ubiquitous item today, but its “invention” is a continuous story of material and manufacturing evolution. The tool we use daily results from centuries of incremental improvements to ancient methods of cleaning teeth. Tracing its timeline reveals a history connecting ancient civilizations, imperial China, 18th-century enterprise, and 20th-century chemical engineering. Pinpointing when the “modern” toothbrush was invented depends on which characteristic—the bristle design, mass production, or synthetic material—is considered most important.
Early Forms of Oral Hygiene
Long before the concept of a dedicated brush existed, people used natural materials for oral hygiene. Practices date back to at least 3500 BCE, when ancient Babylonians and Egyptians used the “chew stick.” This primitive tool was a thin twig, often from aromatic trees, chewed until the fibers frayed. The resulting fibrous end was rubbed against the teeth to remove debris and plaque, while the wood helped freshen breath. This method, sometimes called miswak, is still used in variations today.
The Initial Bristle Design
The design concept separating a brush from a stick originated in China during the Tang Dynasty (likely 7th to 10th centuries). This early version established the fundamental structure of a handle and attached bristles. Handles were typically crafted from bone or bamboo, holding coarse, stiff animal hairs inserted into drilled holes. These bristles were often sourced from the backs of hogs, which produced firmer hairs. By the 15th century, during the Ming Dynasty, this bristle brush design was carried to Europe by traders. Europeans often found the hog bristles too firm and sometimes substituted softer horsehair or feathers.
The Birth of Mass Production
The first shift toward an industrialized, accessible tool occurred in England around 1780. Entrepreneur William Addis, frustrated with the common practice of rubbing teeth with a soot-covered rag while in prison, devised a better alternative. He secured an animal bone, drilled holes into it, and secured animal bristles into the handle using glue. Upon his release, Addis started a company to mass-produce this new design, marking the beginning of the commercial toothbrush industry. This move transformed the toothbrush from a homemade or luxury item into a product available to the wider public.
The Defining Material Change
The final evolution that solidified the modern toothbrush came almost 160 years later, driven by improved hygiene and material science. Prior to the late 1930s, all commercially produced brushes used natural animal hair. These animal bristles posed problems: they did not dry efficiently, creating a breeding ground for bacteria, and they were prone to falling out. This issue was resolved when chemists at DuPont developed nylon, the first synthetic polymer fiber. The first toothbrush using nylon bristles was introduced in 1938 as “Dr. West’s Miracle Toothbrush.” Nylon offered a more sanitary, durable, and cost-effective alternative, allowing manufacturers to control the texture and softness of the filaments with precision.