Page 19 - Pharmacy History 29 July 2006

Powdered charcoal, powdered bark and flavouring agents were added to improve the breath.
In the 18th Century toothpowder or dentrifice, became available in Britain. These powders were developed by doctors, dentists and chemists and included substances very abrasive to teeth, such as brick dust, earthenware and cuttlefish. bicarbonate of soda
was used as the basis for most toothpowders, and some contained other ingredients that would not be considered appropriate for today, such as sugar. Borax powder was also used to produce a favourable foaming effect.2
There is some disagreement about the identity of the originator of the first toothpaste. There are many claimants on both sides of the Atlantic for this honour.3 Toothpastes were originally made by adding glycerin to the powders to make the taste more palatable.
Modern toothpastes were developed
in the 1800s. Ingredients such as soap and chalk as well as nice smelling
and tasting flavourings added to
the appeal of these products in the consumer market. Before the century closed toothpaste was being mass produced and sold universally in jars. In 1892, Dr Washington Sheffield of Connecticut in USA was the first to put toothpaste into a collapsible tube. Sheffield’s toothpaste was called
Dr Sheffield’s Creme Dentifrice. Sheffield Laboratories later changed its name to Colgate.
Advances in synthetic detergents (after WWII) replaced the soap used in toothpaste with emulsifying agents such as sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium ricinoleate. Later, research resulted in the use of fluoride in toothpaste.
There are a myriad of formulas for dental creams and powders available in pharmacy reference books and recipes for liquid dentifrices, mouthwashes, waxes, and tooth fillers were also included. Toothaches were still a common problem, and formulas were provided for drops, paint, and wax used to treat painful teeth.
Many pharmacists used small ceramic pots with their advertising message printed under the glaze on the lid.
The need for those products was vastly diminished by the cavity protection afforded by the first fluorinated toothpastes which appeared on the market in 1954.
Toothbrushes
The early history and evolution
of the toothbrush has its origin in
the ‘chewing sticks’ used by the Babylonians as early as 3500 BC. Ancient Greek and Roman literature even discusses primitive toothpicks that were chewed on to help clean the teeth and mouth.
As the years passed, toothpicks matured into the chew stick which was about the size of a modern pencil. One end was chewed into and became softened and brush-like while the opposite end was pointed and used as a pick to clean food and debris from between the teeth. The twigs used were carefully chosen from aromatic trees that had the ability to clean
and freshen the mouth. The earliest literature showing the use of these twigs is found in Chinese literature at around 1600 BC.
The first true bristled toothbrush
also originated in China at around 1600 AD. At around 1780, the first toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenald, England.
Addis, and later, his descendants, manufactured the finest English brushes, where the handles were carved out of the bone of cattle and the heads of the natural bristles were placed in the bored holes made in the bone and kept in place by thin wire. The natural bristles were obtained from the necks and shoulders of swine, especially from pigs living in colder climates like Siberia and China.
By the early 1800s the bristled brushes were in general use in Europe and Japan. In 1857 HN Wadsworth was credited as the first American to receive a toothbrush patent as America entered the growing toothbrush market.
In 1844, the first toothbrush was manufactured by hand and patented
as a three-row brush of serrated bristles with larger tufts by Dr Meyer L Rhein. In 1885 as technology progressed, synthetic bristles replaced the natural
Holder for tufted wood to clean the teeth
swine bristles. Nylon was first applied to the toothbrush at around 1938 and by 1939, electric toothbrushes arrived in an attempt to offer the public a brush that could simulate the action of a manual brush but with better results and cleaning performance.
Hard to believe, but most Americans didn’t brush their teeth until soldiers brought the Army’s enforced habit back home from World War II.
The first real electric toothbrush
was produced in 1939, developed in Switzerland. The electrical toothbrush was first marketed in the US in 1960 by Squibb. The brush was called the Broxodent. General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush in 1961. Interplak was the first rotary action electric toothbrush for home use, introduced in 1987.
Dental floss is also an ancient invention. Researchers have found dental floss
and toothpick grooves in the teeth of prehistoric humans. Levi Spear Parmly (1790-1859), a New Orleans dentist
is credited as being the inventor of modern dental floss (or maybe the term re-inventor would be more accurate). Parmly promoted flossing with a piece of silk thread in 1815.
(Endnotes)
1. Buchan W. Domestic Medicines: or a tretise on the prevention and cure of diseases. 7th Ed. London. W.Strahan 1781-399
2. No author listed.] Toothpaste history, everything you ever wanted to know about toothpaste. Available at: www.bbc.co.uk/ dna/h2g2/A2818686 Accessed 5/5/2006 (Editor)
3. Further references available on request. Dennis B Worthen, PhD, The Lloyd Library and Museum, 917 Plum Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. E-email: dbworthen@fuse.net
volume 3 ■ no 29 ■ JULY 2006
Pharmacy History Australia ■ 19