# Toothbrushing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrushing/45467>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 14, 2000, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrushing/45467 "2000-12-14T03:00:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrushing/45467/1 "2000-12-14T03:00:24Z")

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Historically what is the first evidence of toothbrushing? Was there actually an individual who invented the toothbrush?

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**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrushing/45467/2 "2000-12-14T03:32:59Z")

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Using [google.com](http://google.com) to do a search I came up with the following site [http://www.signalhilldental.com/info.html](http://www.signalhilldental.com/info.html) with dental information.

Taken from that site

So who invented the toothbrush?\<p\>  
The earliest record are of primitive  
chewsticks which date back to 1600 BC. They were made from various types  
of tasty woods by crushing one end and spreading the fibers to make a brush  
of sorts. They are still used today by some Asiatic and African people.  
The first toothbrush with hog bristles  
is in early Chinese literature. Closer to the style of our current toothbrushes  
were produced in England by William Addis in the 1780’s. The first patent  
for a toothbrush in North American was in USA issued to H. N. Wadsworth  
in the 1850’s. Nylon came to be used by 1930’s and this is still what we  
recommend today. It is less abrasive, more hygienic, softer for sensitive  
gums and therefore less traumatic and yet more effective for cleaning the  
gumline.

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**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothbrushing/45467/3 "2000-12-14T05:35:21Z")

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I believe it was Leeuwenhoek who used a block of salt to brush his teeth.