JP2008289562A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toothbrush which can improve the cleaning effect not only for interdentium sections and tooth cervix sections but also for the smooth surfaces of teeth as well. <P>SOLUTION: In this toothbrush 10, a tuft 15 which is constituted by bundling bristles 14 is respectively planted in a plurality of planting holes 13 on the planting base 11 of a toothbrush body 17. The brush surface 18 for which the distal ends of the bristles 14 constituting the tuft 15 continue is equipped with a continuous gentle wave-form uneven shape 20. In this case, the continuous gentle wave-form uneven shape 20 has a height difference d of 0.5 to 1 mm as viewed from the side surface side which faces the shorter side direction Y of the planting base 11, and a value s/d for which an interval s between adjacent protruding sections 19 is divided by the height difference d is 4 to 10. Also, the distal end sections of the bristles 14 which constitute the tuft 15 are formed into a tapered-in taper-shape section 21 which has a sharp bristle tip. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush, and more particularly to a toothbrush in which tufts formed by bundling bristles are respectively implanted in a plurality of flock holes of a flocking table.

  The toothbrush can efficiently perform appropriate cleaning according to the tooth part such as the tooth surface part, interdental part, and tooth neck part, and the tooth type such as the front tooth and the back tooth, and also improves the feeling of use. For this purpose, various ideas have been made on the arrangement of tufts, the overall shape of the brush portion, and the like.

For example, the bristle to be planted on the flocking table is a tapered brush with a tapered tip, and the brush surface connecting the bristle tips is cut so that it looks like a mountain when viewed from the side of the toothbrush. Thus, a toothbrush with improved bristle interdental reachability is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-299552 A

  However, although the toothbrush of patent document 1 is effective in cleaning deep parts, such as an interdental part and a tooth neck part, when a smooth part like a tooth surface is polished, The bristle tip of the “valley” is difficult to reach a smooth surface, and a sufficient cleaning effect cannot be obtained. Furthermore, since the bristle tip of the valley is thick, there is a problem that the user feels hard during cleaning.

  An object of this invention is to provide the toothbrush which can improve a cleaning effect not only to an interdental part and a tooth neck part but to the surface of a smooth tooth, and exhibits a gentle touch at the time of cleaning.

  The present invention provides a toothbrush in which tufts formed by bundling bristles are respectively planted in a plurality of follicle holes of a flocking table, and a brush surface connecting the tips of the bristles constituting the tuft is a short of the flocking table. When viewed from the side facing the hand direction, the height difference is 0.5 to 1 mm, and the value obtained by dividing the interval between adjacent convex portions by the height difference is 4 to 10 in a gradual wave shape. The bristle that has an uneven shape and constitutes the tuft achieves the above object by providing a toothbrush whose tip is a tapered portion with a sharp tip. is there.

  According to the toothbrush of the present invention, the cleaning effect can be improved even on the surface of a smooth tooth while having the cleaning effect on the interdental part and the neck part.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. Fig.1 (a), (b) is the toothbrush which concerns on preferable one Embodiment of this invention. The toothbrush 10 is formed by bundling a plurality of bristles 14 in a plurality of flock holes 13 formed in a flock base 11 of a toothbrush main body 17 including a gripping portion (not shown), a flock base 11 and a neck portion 12 connecting them. Each hair bundle (tuft) 15 to be formed is implanted (planted) to form a brush portion 16.

  The toothbrush body 17 is made of, for example, a polyolefin resin such as polypropylene, a polyester resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PCTA (polycarbonate), or a synthetic resin such as an ABS resin. On the flat surface of the flocking table 11, a plurality of flocked holes 13 having a circular planar shape with a diameter of, for example, about 1 to 2 mm are provided at a depth of 2 to 5 mm, for example, corresponding to the arrangement positions of the tufts 15. The openings are formed and distributed in the vertical and horizontal directions with an interval t between the centers of about 2 to 4 mm, for example. In each flock hole 13, the tuft 15 has a hair length (height from the surface of the flocking table 11) of preferably 7 to 12 mm. The bristle 14 constituting each tuft 15 is made of a synthetic resin such as nylon, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), or a natural material such as pig hair, and has a thickness of 6 for example. 10 to 10 mil (0.15 to 0.25 mm) filament material, and tufts 15 are formed by bundling, for example, dozens to dozens.

  In the toothbrush 10 of the present embodiment, when the brush surface 18 connecting the tips of the bristle 14 constituting the tuft 15 is viewed from the side surface facing the short direction Y of the flocking table 11, the height difference d is 0. 5 to 1 mm, and includes a continuous gentle wave-like uneven shape 20 having a value s / d of 4 to 10 obtained by dividing the interval s between adjacent convex portions 19 by a height difference d, and a tuft 15. The tip portion of the bristle 14 constituting the taper is a tapered portion 21 having a sharp tip (see FIG. 1C).

  When the value s / d obtained by dividing the interval s of the convex portions 19 of the gentle wave-like unevenness 20 by the height difference d is 4 to 10, the tip of the bristle 14 having a high bristle length at the time of brushing has a bristle having a low bristle length. 14 is concentrated in a straight line at the tip position (shown by a broken line portion in FIGS. 1 and 2), and it is difficult to leave unpolished. In particular, the value s / d is preferably 5 to 8 from the viewpoint of enhancing the effect during cleaning. When the value s / d is smaller than 4, the number of the tips of the bristle 14 that are concentrated in a straight line at the tip of the bristle 14 having a low bristle length at the time of brushing is reduced, and there is a gap between the tips of the bristle 14. It is likely to be left unpolished. On the other hand, if the value s / d is larger than 10, the tip of the bristle 14 having a high bristle length does not reach the tip of the bristle 14 having a low bristle length, and the tip of the bristle 14 is totally scattered and left unpolished. Is likely to occur.

  Further, if the height difference d of the gentle wave-shaped unevenness 20 is 0.5 to 1 mm, the tip of the bristle 14 having a high bristle length is concentrated in a straight line at the tip of the bristle 14 having a low bristle length at the time of brushing. Therefore, it is hard to leave unpolished. If the height difference d is less than 0.5 mm, the tip of the bristle 14 having a high bristle length does not concentrate linearly at the tip of the bristle 14 having a low bristle length at the time of brushing. Prone to occur. On the other hand, if the height difference d is larger than 1.0 mm, the bristle 14 having a low bristle height is difficult to reach the tooth surface, and therefore, unpolished portions are likely to occur. The height difference d is preferably 0.7 ± 0.2 mm from the viewpoint of enhancing the cleaning effect.

  Further, the gentle wave-like irregularities 20 have a radius of curvature R1 of 1 to 3 mm, particularly 1.5 to 2.5 mm, and a radius of curvature R2 of 1 to 3 mm, particularly 1 at the bottom of the concave portion 23. Preferably, it is formed with a thickness of ˜2 mm. The difference between R1 and R2 is preferably 0.8 mm or less.

  The tapered portion 21 is formed by forming the brush surface 18 of the bristle 14 into a gentle wave-like uneven shape 20 that is continuous when viewed from the side surface, and then processing the tapered surface 21 so as to be a tapered shape. be able to. As a result, the tip of the tapered portion of the bristle located in the concave portion is cut as in the case where the brush surface of the tip is cut into an uneven shape after a bristle whose tip portion has been processed into a tapered shape in advance is planted on the flocking table. Therefore, the tapered portion 21 of each bristle 14 can be easily held in a tapered shape having a sharp tip. The processing of the tapered portion 21 after being cut and aligned into the concavo-convex shape 20 can be performed using, for example, a brush tip grinding method and apparatus described in JP-A-10-14663.

  In addition, the toothbrush 10 of this embodiment is previously physical to the flock hole 13 from the back side of the flocking table 11 so that the brush surface 18 becomes a gentle wave-like uneven shape 20 when viewed from the side surface side. A tuft 15 formed by bundling a bristle 14 whose tip is processed into a tapered shape by a general grinding or chemical dissolution treatment is inserted, and one end of the tuft 15 protruding to the back side of the flock hole 13 after the tuft 15 is inserted. The tufts 15 are respectively planted in the plurality of flock holes 13 of the flocking table 11 by a so-called heat fusion method, in which a molten lump is formed by heating, and the molten lump is coated. The brush surface 18 having a gentle wave-like uneven shape 20 can be formed by the bristle. Such fusion flocking processing can be performed using, for example, a brush manufacturing method and apparatus described in JP-A-2002-136341.

The length h of the tapered portion 21 is preferably 2 to 8 mm, particularly 3 to 8 mm. When the length h of the taper-shaped portion 21 is in the above range, the bristle 14 does not bend excessively, and it is possible to achieve both a high cleaning effect and a gentle polishing feeling, and at the time of forming and manufacturing the taper-shaped portion 21. Is easy to handle.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the flocking density in the flocking table 11 is preferably 30 to 50%. Since the bristle flocking density is 30-50%, the tip of the bristle is moderately concentrated at the time of brushing, and the cleaning effect is applied not only to the interdental part and the neck part but also to the smooth tooth surface. Will improve. Here, the flocking density is a ratio of the total area of the flocked holes 13 to the area of the flocked region surrounded by the annular line connecting the outer edges of the flocked holes 13 arranged on the outermost periphery.

  And according to the toothbrush 10 of this embodiment provided with the above-mentioned structure, by the effect | action by the taper-shaped part 21 of the front-end | tip part of each bristle 14, and the wavy uneven | corrugated shape 20 of the brush surface 18, an interdental part and a tooth | gear are obtained. The cleaning effect can be improved not only on the neck but also on the smooth tooth surface. That is, according to the toothbrush 10 of the present embodiment, when the tooth surface 22 is cleaned, the brush surface 18 is pressed against the smooth tooth surface 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). When the toothbrush body 17 is slid and moved in the longitudinal direction X of the flocking table 11 (indicated by a white arrow), the bristle 14 having a high bristle length disposed on the convex portion 19 side of the concavo-convex shape 20 is particularly thin. The taper-shaped portion 21 is greatly curved backward in the sliding direction. The bristles of the bristle 14 having a large curvature and a high bristle enter between the bristles of the bristles 14 having a low curvature and a low curvature, which are arranged on the concave portion 23 side of the concavo-convex shape 20, and have a low bristles At the tip end portion of the bristle 14, the hair tips are concentrated linearly in the short direction Y of the flocking table 11. That is, the tip of the bristle 14 having a high bristle length and the bristle 14 having a low bristle length is concentrated on the bristle 14 having a short bristle length in a straight line between a series of irregularities of a gentle wave. Therefore, by the synergistic effect of the tapered portion 21 of the bristle 14 and the uneven shape 20 of the brush surface 18, the tip of the bristle 14 having a low bristle length is concentrated at the tip of the bristle 14 at the time of cleaning. It is possible to effectively clean the entire tooth surface 22 while fitting the smooth surface of the teeth.

  Further, according to the toothbrush 10 of the present embodiment, the tapered portion 21 of the bristle 14 can move in the short direction Y of the flocking table 11 even when the hair tips are concentrated in a straight line. For this reason, the bristles 14 of the bristle 14 arranged at both end portions in the short direction Y are pushed out to the outside in the short direction Y. It becomes possible to effectively clean the tooth neck. Furthermore, according to the toothbrush 10 of the present embodiment, the bristles of each bristle 14 can easily reach the interdental part due to the original effects of the tapered portion 21 of each bristle 14 and the uneven shape 20 of the brush surface 18. The interproximal part can be effectively cleaned, and a feel that is gentle to the gums can be obtained.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the flock hole should have a planar shape having a major axis and a minor axis, such as a polygonal planar shape such as a square or a hexagon, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially oval shape, or a substantially rectangular shape, in addition to a circular planar shape. Can do. Moreover, the tuft formed by bundling a plurality of bristles can be planted and fixed in the flock hole by a flat line type flocking method, an in-mold method or the like.

  Hereinafter, although the toothbrush of this invention is demonstrated in detail by an Example and a comparative example, this invention is not limited to these.

[Example 1, Comparative Examples 1-3]
A toothbrush having a configuration similar to that of the above-described embodiment, that is, a toothbrush having a tapered wave-like uneven shape in which the tip of the bristle is a tapered portion and the brush surface viewed from the side is continuous is implemented. Example 1 was adopted. Comparative Example 1 is a commercially available toothbrush (trade name “Bitoine Maxi”) in which the tip portion of the bristle has a tapered portion, but the brush surface viewed from the side surface has a deep ridged shape. Comparative Example 2 is a commercially available toothbrush (trade name “Denter Systemer” in which the tip of the bristle is a tapered portion, but the brush surface seen from the side is a flat surface. “Lion Co., Ltd.”; Comparative Example 3 is a commercially available toothbrush (trade name “Clear Clean Dental Brush”, in which the tip of the bristle has a spatula shape and the brush surface seen from the side is a stepped surface. "Kao Corporation." Table 1 shows values obtained by dividing the type of bristles, the unevenness of the unevenness of the brush surface, and the interval between the convex portions by the height difference in each toothbrush.

  About each toothbrush of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1-3, while evaluating the cleaning effect in a smooth surface, a tooth neck part, and an interdental part with the following method, gentle touch was evaluated. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Cleaning effect of smooth surface]
Ten men and women in their 20s to 30s were subjects. In the clinical trial, first, a test toothbrush was used as a test toothbrush acclimatization period of about one week, and toothbrushing was performed as usual. After the habituation period of the test toothbrush, brushing was stopped for 24 hours, and then the subject himself performed free brushing, and the amount of plaque before and after that was measured. The plaque amount was reduced to zero by the surgeon before stopping the brushing.
As shown in FIG. 3, the amount of plaque was measured by measuring the height r of plaque from the gingival margin 30 in increments of 0.5 mm using a pocket probe 31. The ratio of the amount of plaque decreased after brushing to the amount of plaque before brushing was taken as the plaque removal rate (plaque removal rate (%) = (plaque amount before brushing-plaque after brushing) The amount of plaque before brushing × 100).
The effect of cleaning the smooth surface is that the labial surface and buccal surface of the central incisor, first premolar, first premolar, and second premolar (excluding crown prosthetic teeth and carious teeth) are equally divided into 5 parts 32a. , 32b, 32c, 32d, and 32e, the plaque removal rate of the central three sites 32b, 32c, and 32d was evaluated. Evaluation criteria were 60% or more as ◯, 50% or more as Δ, and less than 50 points as x. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Tooth neck cleaning effect]
As in the smooth surface clinical trial, the cleaning effect of the tooth neck was evaluated. Of the smooth surfaces 32b, 32c, and 32d, the tooth neck was in the range of 0.5 mm from the gingival margin 30 in particular.
Evaluation criteria were 60% or more as ◯, 50% or more as Δ, and less than 50 points as x. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Cleaning effect between teeth]
The interdental cleaning effect was evaluated as in the smooth surface clinical trial. The interdental part was made into 2 site | parts 32a and 32e of the both sides of the tooth surface divided into five. The evaluation criteria were 50% or more for ◯, 40% or more for Δ, and less than 40 points for x. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Feel]
Ten men and women in their 20s to 30s were subjects. The use evaluation is a five-point evaluation of gentle touch (“I agree” 5 points, “Somewhat agree” 4 points, “I can't say” 3 points, “I don't think so” 2 points, “I don't think so” 1 The score was scored according to the sum of points, with 40 points or more marked as ◯, 30 points or more as Δ, and less than 30 points as x. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

  As in the evaluation results shown in Table 1, in the toothbrush of Example 1 according to the present invention, good results were obtained for any of the cleaning effect and feel on the smooth surface, the tooth neck, the interdental part. On the other hand, in the toothbrush of the comparative example 1, the cleaning effect of all of a smooth surface, a tooth neck part, and an interdental part was a little inferior, and it was inferior to the touch. This is because the unevenness of the brush surface is deep and the hair ends of the recesses are thick, so that the hair tips do not easily enter the interdental or cervical region, and the overall bristle feel is hard, and the short bristle tips are smooth. This is thought to be due to the difficulty of hitting the surface. Moreover, in the toothbrush of the comparative example 2, the cleaning effect in a smooth surface was inferior. This is because the bristle has a tapered shape and the brush surface is a flat surface, so that the hair tip of the tapered portion of the bristle is difficult to concentrate, and the plaque removal force by the hair tip is weakened. It is done. Furthermore, in the toothbrush of the comparative example 3, it was inferior to the cleaning effect and feel in an interdental part and a tooth neck part. This is because the tip of the blister has a spatula shape and is not tapered, so that the tip is not flexible, the hair tip is difficult to enter the neck and a hard feel. it is conceivable that.

  In addition, about this toothbrush of Example 1, the comparative example 1, and the comparative example 2, this inventor colors the front-end | tip of a bristle tip, for example in red, and has a flocking table on the surface of a transparent acrylic board with this. While moving in parallel, the brush surface is pressed with the same pressure as that applied during general cleaning, and the movement of the bristles when sliding back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the flocking table, the back side of the acrylic plate An experiment to observe was performed. According to this experiment, in the toothbrush of Example 1, it was observed that the bristles on the brush surface were concentrated in a straight line in the short direction of the flocking table at the tip of the bristle with a low bristle length. Further, it was observed that the concentrated hair tips were pushed outward at both side ends in the short direction of the flocking table. In the toothbrush of the comparative example 1, since the unevenness | corrugation depth was deep, it was observed that the bristles of an uneven | corrugated trough became difficult to hit the surface of an acrylic board. In the toothbrush of the comparative example 2, it was observed that the tip part of each tuft would flow backward in the sliding direction without the bristles being concentrated.

(A) is a schematic top view of essential parts of a toothbrush according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a schematic side view of essential parts with the brush surface facing downward, and (c) is the shape of a bristle. It is a schematic diagram to explain. (A) is a principal part schematic top view of the state which cleans the surface of a smooth tooth | gear using the toothbrush which concerns on preferable one Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a principal part schematic side view. It is explanatory drawing of the site | part of the tooth | gear used as the object of evaluation of a cleaning effect.

Explanation of symbols

10 Toothbrush 11 Flocking table 12 Neck part 13 Flocking hole 14 Bristle 15 Tuft (hair bundle)
16 Brush part 17 Toothbrush body 18 Brush surface 19 Convex and convex part 20 Consecutive gentle wave-like uneven part (gradual wave-like uneven part)
21 Tapered portion 22 at the tip of the bristle 22 Smooth tooth surface d Height difference s of the concavo-convex shape Distance between the convex portions of the concavo-convex shape Length of the tapered portion of the bristle X Longitudinal direction Y of the flocking table Short of the flocking table Hand direction

Claims (5)

A tuft made of bristles is a toothbrush planted in each of a plurality of follicle holes of a flocking table,
When the brush surface connecting the tips of the bristles constituting the tuft is viewed from the side facing the short direction of the flocking table, the height difference is 0.5 to 1 mm, and the spacing between adjacent convex portions is as follows. It has a continuous gentle wave-like uneven shape whose value divided by the height difference is 4 to 10,
And the bristle which comprises the said tuft is a toothbrush in which the front-end | tip part becomes the taper taper-shaped part which has a sharp tip.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the length of the tapered portion of the bristle is 2 to 8 mm.   The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tapered portion of the bristle is processed into a tapered shape after forming the continuous gentle wave-like uneven brush surface.   A tuft formed by bundling a bristle whose tip portion has been processed into a tapered shape in advance is planted in each of a plurality of flock holes of the flocking table by a thermal fusion method, and the continuous gently wavy uneven brush The toothbrush of Claim 1 or 2 which forms a surface.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bristle has a flocking density of 30 to 50%.

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