# Toothbrush

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrush/151820>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 31, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrush/151820 "2003-01-31T05:28:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![empfsu1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@empfsu1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/empfsu1)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrush/151820/1 "2003-01-31T05:28:21Z")

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What year was the Toothbrush invented? Who invented it? Was Toothpaste invented at the same time?

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrush/151820/2 "2003-01-31T06:44:10Z")

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[A history of toothbrushes and toothpaste.](http://www.gumshield.com/history/toothbrush_paste.html)

_What year was the Toothbrush invented? Who invented it?_  
Undetermined exactly, although the site claims the bristle brush was invented by the Chinese and introduced to Europe in the 17th century.

_Was Toothpaste invented at the same time?_  
No. The site does talk of various substances used going right back to prehistory, but the familiar collapsible tube / paste contents combo didn’t appear until 1892.