JP2008212510A - Bristle material for toothbrush, and toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bristle material for toothbrushes and a toothbrush having appropriate flexibility and high durability and having an excellent cleaning effect such as plaque removal. <P>SOLUTION: This bristle material for the toothbrush formed of cut bristles of monofilaments formed of thermoplastic resin composition of 90-60 wt.% of polyamide resin and 10-40 wt.% of polyester resin, has a plurality of fine slots extending in the fiber axis direction on the whole surface of the cut bristle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a synthetic resin toothbrush bristle material and a toothbrush, and has moderate flexibility and high durability as compared with conventional nylon resin or polyester resin toothbrush bristle materials, as well as plaque removal and the like. The present invention relates to a toothbrush bristle material and a toothbrush excellent in cleaning effect.

  Conventionally, synthetic resin bristle materials such as polyamide and polyester that can be easily processed have been widely used as toothbrush bristle materials.

  As means for improving the cleaning effect of such a synthetic resin toothbrush bristle material, various techniques have been studied so far, for example, polyester fibers having sharp hair ends, There are known polyester fibers for brushes (see, for example, Patent Document 1) having a large number of water spots only at the tip of the shape forming portion. When this polyester fiber is applied to a toothbrush, the interdental and periodontal pockets are used. Although the fiber tip can reach a narrow space such as, the fiber tip does not have a function of actively scraping out plaque and the like, so that there is a problem that cleaning properties are inferior.

  To compensate for the above drawbacks, a toothbrush bristle material in which a tapered portion is provided at the free end of a filament made of synthetic fiber and a circular scarlet and / or bellows-like irregularities of 100 microns are formed only on the tapered portion. (For example, see Patent Document 2), the toothbrush bristle material has the advantage that the bristle material has a hardness comparable to the toothbrush bristle material made of polyamide resin or polyester resin. There is a problem that durability when used as a toothbrush is remarkably hindered by the influence of the circular scars and / or bellows-like irregularities.

  Further, in the field of industrial brushes using synthetic fibers, brush hairs made of a mixture of polybutylene terephthalate and polyester elastomer (for example, see Patent Document 3) are known. When used in a toothbrush as it is, not only the durability is insufficient, but the cleaning property of the teeth is inferior, and the feeling of use is not fully satisfied.

In other words, with the synthetic resin bristle material according to the prior art, it is possible to remove foreign matters when used as toothbrush bristle material, but the scraping function of the foreign matter, the feeling of use of the toothbrush and the performance up to durability are sufficient. The actual situation is that there is a strong demand for the realization of a toothbrush bristle material that satisfies all these characteristics.
JP 49-47618 JP-A-8-47423 JP-A-61-90877

  The present invention has been achieved as a result of studying the above-described problems in the prior art as an object.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush bristle material having moderate flexibility and high durability as compared with conventional polyamide resin or polyester resin toothbrush hair materials, and having an excellent cleaning effect such as plaque removal. To provide a toothbrush.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a bristle material for a toothbrush comprising a monofilament cut bristle formed of a thermoplastic resin composition of 90 to 60% by weight of a polyamide resin and 10 to 40% by weight of a polyester resin. And the bristle material for a toothbrush characterized by having a plurality of fine long holes extending in the fiber axis direction on the entire surface of the cut bristle.

In the toothbrush bristle material of the present invention,
The fine long hole is formed of a polyester resin eluted by solvent treatment,
The polyamide-based resin is at least one selected from nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 6,10, nylon 11, nylon 12, and a copolymer mainly composed thereof;
The polyester resin is at least one selected from polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate and polyester elastomer;
The total area of the fine long holes occupies 40% or less of the cut bristle surface area, and the depth of the fine long holes is 4% or less of the cut bristle diameter, both of which are mentioned as preferable conditions. When these conditions are satisfied, even better performance is exhibited.

  The toothbrush of the present invention is characterized in that the toothbrush bristle material is used as at least a part of the bristle material.

  According to the present invention, as described below, it has moderate flexibility and high durability as compared to conventional polyamide resin or polyester resin toothbrush bristle materials, and excellent cleaning effects such as plaque removal. A toothbrush bristle material and a toothbrush can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view and a sectional view showing an example of the toothbrush bristle material of the present invention, wherein 1 is a toothbrush bristle material, 2 is a fine slot, and 3 is a cross section of the toothbrush bristle material 1.

  As is apparent from FIG. 1, the bristle material 1 for a toothbrush of the present invention is composed of a cut bristle obtained by cutting a monofilament formed from a specific thermoplastic resin composition into a desired length. The basic structure is that a plurality of fine long holes 2 extending in the fiber axis direction are formed on the entire surface of the bristle.

  The fine long holes 2 are formed in the shape of a long and narrow groove extending in the direction of the fiber axis and scattered over the entire surface of the cut bristle. Since the function of positively scraping off plaque adhering to a narrow space such as a periodontal pocket is obtained, the cleaning performance as a toothbrush is remarkably improved.

  The size and number of the fine long holes 2 are not particularly limited, but the total area of the fine long holes 2 existing on the surface of the cut bristle occupies 40% or less, particularly 35% or less of the cut bristle surface area. The depth of the long hole 2 is desirably 4% or less, particularly 3% or less of the cut bristle diameter. When the total area and depth of the fine long holes 2 exceed the above range, the bristle material is easily broken due to the fine long holes 2 and the durability may be hindered.

  In addition, the fine long hole 2 preferably has a long diameter (length in the fiber axis direction) of about 1 mm to the same length as the cut bristle, and a short diameter (width in the fiber circumferential direction) of about 5 to 30 μm. It is preferable.

  The fine elongated holes 2 were formed after elution of a polyester resin that was formed by a polyester resin eluted by a solvent treatment described later, that is, a polyester resin that was elongated in the surface axis direction of the stretched monofilament. It is a long hole.

  Specific examples of the polyamide resin constituting the bristle material 1 for toothbrushes of the present invention include nylon 6, nylon 11, nylon 12 constituted by polycondensation reaction of ω amino acids, and co-condensation polymerization reaction of diamine and dicarboxylic acid. Nylon 66, Nylon 6,10, or a copolymer mainly composed thereof, such as nylon 6.66, nylon 6,12 constituted by co-condensation polymerization of ω-amino acids of ε-caprolactam and lauryl lactam, etc. Nylon copolymers are preferably used, among which nylon 6 · 10 and nylon copolymers are preferably used.

  Examples of the polyester resin constituting the bristle material 1 for toothbrushes of the present invention include polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polyester elastomer. Among them, the use of polybutylene terephthalate and polytrimethylene terephthalate is preferable in that 2 can be easily formed.

  The compounding composition of the resin component in the resin composition constituting the monofilament of the present invention is 90 to 60% by weight of nylon resin, preferably 80 to 65% by weight, and 10 to 45% by weight of polyester resin, preferably 20 to 35% by weight. % Is the ratio of 100% by weight. Here, if the ratio of the nylon resin is less than the above range, the hardness of the bristle material is remarkably lowered, and the feeling of touching the gums is not enough, and the total area and depth of the fine long holes 2 are increased. In this case, the durability of the hair material is lowered, and if the above range is exceeded, the hair and waist become stiff and uncomfortable feeling on the gums is unfavorable.

  The fine long holes 2 present on the surface of the toothbrush bristle material 1 of the present invention can be formed by dissolving the bristle material surface with an alkali using a known method. That is, the fine long holes 2 are formed by immersing the bristle in an alkaline solution such as an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and eluting the polyester resin contained in the monofilaments constituting the bristle. In this case, the fine elongated holes 2 having a desired size and depth can be easily formed by appropriately selecting the concentration of the alkaline solution, the immersion time, the immersion temperature, and the like.

  The cross-section 3 of the monofilament constituting the bristle material 1 for toothbrushes of the present invention is not particularly limited, and is circular, polygonal, such as quadrilateral, hexagonal, and further, four-leaf, six-leaf, eight-leaf, etc. In particular, a circular cross-sectional shape is preferable from the viewpoint of excellent balance of various performances.

  As long as the purpose of the present invention is not impaired, the thermoplastic resin composition includes a heat-resistant agent, an antistatic agent, an ultraviolet absorber, a plasticizer, an antioxidant, an antibacterial agent, a fluorescent whitening agent, Various conventional additives such as dyes and pigments can optionally be contained.

  Moreover, an abrasive or a polishing agent, specifically, clay, silica, calcium carbonate or apatite, and a mixture thereof can be included together with the above additives.

  Next, an example is demonstrated about the manufacturing method of the bristle material 1 for toothbrushes of this invention.

  First, a monofilament composed of a thermoplastic resin composition constituting the bristle material 1 for a toothbrush of the present invention is, for example, after a predetermined amount of various additives are dispersed and mixed in a polyamide resin and a polyester resin as required. It is manufactured by supplying to a known melt spinning machine, melt-extruding from a nozzle corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the yarn, passing through a cooling and stretching process, performing a heat treatment under heat setting conditions, and then winding. Next, the monofilament is converged and cut into a desired length to produce a bundle-like converging body (brissle bundle). Further, the bristle bundle is protected with a tape or the like, and the bundle is cut into a length corresponding to the type and use of the toothbrush, thereby obtaining a cut bristle as a toothbrush bristle material.

  Next, the toothbrush bristle material of the present invention is obtained by dissolving the polyester resin that is elongated in the axial direction of the surface layer of the bristle by using a known method and dissolving it with an alkaline solution to form the fine long holes 2. be able to.

  The toothbrush of the present invention using the toothbrush bristle material 1 obtained by the above production method as at least a part of the hair material can be produced by a known method, and the production method of the toothbrush itself is not particularly limited. .

  As described above, the toothbrush bristle material of the present invention has moderate flexibility and high durability, and has excellent cleaning properties capable of evenly scraping and removing plaque and foreign matter adhering to the teeth with fine long holes. It also has.

  And the toothbrush which used the bristle material for toothbrushes of this invention for at least one part fully exhibits these characteristics, and its practicality is very high.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated based on an Example, this invention is not limited to a following example at all unless the summary is exceeded. In addition, about the evaluation method of the bristle material for toothbrushes of this invention, it carried out as follows. That is, the toothbrush bristle material shown in the Examples was planted in a 30-hole toothbrush handle so that the bristle length was 12 mm to create a toothbrush, and the following evaluation was performed on this toothbrush.

[Cleanability evaluation]
Using the above-mentioned toothbrush, a load of 150 g was applied to the toothbrush vertically from the back side of the sliding surface, and the stainless steel corrugated stainless steel plate coated with virtual dirt was slid 3000 times at an amplitude of 13 mm and a speed of 150 rpm. The removal rate of virtual dirt was measured. The dirt removal rate was calculated for the corrugated plate surface.

[Usage survey]
Toothbrushes with the same specifications as the cleaning performance evaluation were created and used by 20 adults for 10 days per type, and responses were obtained regarding the feeling of use, particularly stimulation of the gums. The evaluation criteria are as follows.
◎ ・ ・ Very good,
○ ・ ・ Good
△ ・ ・ Normal
× ·· Bad.

[Durability evaluation]
Create a toothbrush with the same specifications as the cleaning performance evaluation, apply a load of 500 g vertically from the back of the sliding surface to this toothbrush, and drop hot water of 37 ° C on the toothbrush made of stainless steel. Were slid 20,000 times in the longitudinal direction, and the open ratio (K) of the brush part was measured. The calculation method of the hair opening ratio was K = (BA) / A × 100 (%) when the width A mm of the sliding surface of the brush part in the initial state and the width B mm after sliding were set.

[Example 1]
80% by weight of preliminarily dehumidified and dried nylon 6.10 resin (Amilan CM2001 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., hereinafter referred to as nylon 6.10) and polybutylene terephthalate (Toraycon 1100S manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., hereinafter referred to as PBT) 20 After stirring and mixing with the weight%, the mixture is fed to an extrusion-type spinning machine, and the heat-melted resin composition is extruded from a nozzle having a circular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the yarn, and immediately cooled in water at 30 ° C. The film was stretched 4.1 times under hot water at 55 ° C. and dry heat at 100 ° C., and then subjected to relaxation heat treatment in a dry heat atmosphere. The circular monofilament having a circumscribed circle diameter of 0.180 mm thus obtained was wound up in a bundle.

  Next, a paper tape was wound around the wound bundle of monofilaments to form a hair bundle having a diameter of 45 mm, and further cut into a length of 30 mm to obtain a cut bristle.

  The obtained cut bristle is immersed in a sodium hydroxide solution, the hair surface is dissolved, washed with water, and dried, so that fine long holes (total area: cut bristle surface area) in the fiber axis longitudinal direction of the hair surface A toothbrush bristle material having a depth of about 32% of the cut bristle diameter was obtained.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Example 2]
A toothbrush bristle material was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the blending ratio of nylon 6 · 10 to 65% by weight and PBT to 35% by weight was changed.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

Example 3
Toothbrush bristle material in the same manner as in Example 1, except that nylon 6/10 was changed to nylon copolymer (D22 nylon 6/12 copolymer manufactured by Degussa, hereinafter referred to as nylon 6/12). Was made.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

Example 4
A toothbrush bristle material was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that PBT was changed to polytrimethylene terephthalate ("CORTERRA CP513000" manufactured by Shell Chemicals, hereinafter referred to as PTT).

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Comparative Example 1]
A toothbrush bristle material was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the blending ratio of nylon 6 · 10 to 20 wt% and PBT to 80 wt% was changed.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Comparative Example 2]
In Example 3, a toothbrush bristle was produced in the same manner except that the blending ratio of nylon 6 · 12 to 20 wt% and PBT to 80 wt% was changed.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Comparative Example 3]
In Example 4, a toothbrush bristle was prepared in the same manner except that the blending ratio of nylon 6 · 10 was changed to 20% by weight and PTT to 80% by weight.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Comparative Example 4]
In Example 1, a toothbrush bristle was produced in the same manner except that the PBT was changed to 100% by weight and the alkali treatment was omitted.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Comparative Example 5]
A toothbrush bristle material was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the alkali treatment was omitted and the fine long holes were not formed.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

[Comparative Example 6]
In Comparative Example 4, a toothbrush bristle was produced in the same manner except that sharp tapered shapes were formed at both ends of the cut bristle.

  Table 1 shows the results of producing a toothbrush using the obtained bristle material for toothbrush and evaluating the characteristics.

  As is clear from the results in Table 1, in the toothbrushes (Examples 1 to 4) using the toothbrush bristle material of the present invention, the stains on the stainless corrugated plate to which virtual stains are attached are equally removed by the microfissure recesses. In addition, it can be seen that the usability survey and durability evaluation are also highly practical.

  On the other hand, a toothbrush using a toothbrush bristle material that does not satisfy the conditions of the present invention lacks cleaning performance. For example, a toothbrush bristle material having a polyamide resin content less than a specified value ( In Comparative Examples 1, 2, and 3), the polyester resin has a large content, and not only fine elongated holes are excessively formed by the alkaline solution, but also the polyamide resin contained in the hair material dissolves and the hair material simultaneously. Since it falls off and becomes rough, the lower back also becomes uncomfortable with the feel on the gums. Further, the toothbrush bristle material (Comparative Example 6) in which only the sharp taper portion is formed at the tip of the bristle material is effective in cleaning the gaps between the teeth, but the contact area when the brush is pressed is small. Since there are few, there is little cleaning effect, and since it becomes weak, the durability is also inferior.

  Furthermore, in the toothbrush bristle material (Comparative Examples 4 and 5) which does not have a fine long hole, although the contact area to the tooth surface is increased, the smoothness of the bristle surface is high and the cleaning property is lowered, so the practicality is low. It turns out that it is a thing.

  The toothbrush bristle material of the present invention has moderate flexibility and high durability, is excellent in use feeling such as cleaning effect such as plaque removal, and does not give a sense of incongruity to the gums. The place that contributes as a toothbrush for adults is big.

It is the side view and sectional drawing which showed an example of the bristle material for toothbrushes of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Toothbrush bristle material 2 Fine slot 3 Cross section

Claims (7)

A toothbrush bristle material comprising a monofilament cut bristle formed of a polyamide resin 90-60 wt% and a polyester resin 10-40 wt%, and on the entire surface of the cut bristle, A toothbrush bristle material comprising a plurality of fine elongated holes extending in the fiber axis direction. The bristle material for toothbrushes according to claim 1, wherein the fine long holes are formed of a polyester resin eluted by solvent treatment. The polyamide-based resin is at least one selected from nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 6,10, nylon 11, nylon 12, and a copolymer mainly composed of these. The toothbrush bristle material described in 1. The polyester resin is at least one selected from polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate and polyester elastomer. Toothbrush bristle material. The bristle material for a toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a total area of the fine long holes occupies 40% or less of a cut bristle surface area. The bristle material for toothbrushes according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the depth of the fine slot is 4% or less of the cut bristle diameter. A toothbrush comprising the toothbrush bristle material according to any one of claims 1 to 6 as at least a part of the bristle material.

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