JP2012192175A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toothbrush that has tapered bristle tufts planted in a bristle plant base with an appropriate position, shape, or the like, for improvement in ease of cleaning smooth surfaces of teeth, and in ability to clean between teeth, gingival sulcus, or the like which are difficult to be cleaned.SOLUTION: The toothbrush 10 includes a main bristle plant area 18 in which center bristle tuft rows 16 at the center in a width direction Y of a bristle plant base 11 and outer bristle tuft rows 17 on both sides of a width direction Y of the bristle plant base, are planted, respectively. The bristle tufts 15a and 15b of the center bristle tuft rows 16 have a horizontally-long cross-sectional shape, and are planted in a horizontally-long axis direction serving defined as the width direction Y of the bristle plant stand 11. The center bristle tuft rows 16 are formed of center tapered bristle tufts 15a of tapered bristles 14a and center round bristle tufts 15b of round bristles 14b which are alternately arranged. The center taper bristle tuft 15a is formed of a bristle having a length longer than the bristle length q of the center round bristle tuft 15b.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush in which a plurality of bristle bundles formed by bundling a plurality of bristles are implanted on a flocking table.

  Toothbrush is to plant and fix a bundle of bristles by bundling multiple bristles by, for example, driving a flat wire into a plurality of flock holes provided on the flocking surface of a flocking table or fusing with heat. It is formed by. In addition, the toothbrush effectively cleans the plaque, etc. effectively by performing appropriate brushing according to the type of teeth such as the front teeth and back teeth, and the parts of the teeth such as the interdental portion, tooth surface portion, and neck portion. Various ideas have been made on the arrangement of the hair bundles and the shape of the bristle tips so that they can be removed and a good feel can be obtained at the time of brushing.

  And it is possible to perform appropriate brushing with a single toothbrush on multiple tooth types such as back teeth and anterior teeth, and multiple tooth sites such as interdental parts, tooth surface parts, and neck parts. Various toothbrushes have been developed in which a plurality of hair bundle groups having different appearance forms (unified features) suitable for brushing the types and parts of each tooth are implanted on a flocking table (for example, Patent Documents) 1, see Patent Document 2).

  In the toothbrush of Patent Document 1, by providing tufts (hair bundles) having at least five types of cross sections, for example, an outer surface facing the cheek, an edge of the gum, a portion between the roots, a surface facing the tongue, and This makes it possible to properly clean the different parts of the tooth, such as the rearmost molar. In addition, the toothbrush of Patent Document 2 improves the feel of both the feeling of brushing the back teeth and the feeling of brushing between the teeth, and printing according to the types and parts of each tooth by a plurality of hair bundle groups having different appearance forms. This makes it possible to perform sweeping effectively.

JP-T-2001-507891 JP 2004-105377 A

  As a bristle (monofilament) that constitutes a hair bundle to be planted on a flocking table, a tapered bristle formed with a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases with the tip portion toward the tip is known. By using the hair bundle, it is possible to improve the cleaning power against the back of the interdental portion, the periodontal pocket, or the boundary of the gums, which are difficult to clean, and to obtain a soft feel to the gums.

  The hair bundles (taper hair bundles) by these taper bristle can also be used by incorporating a plurality of hair bundle groups having different appearance forms into a toothbrush planted on a flocking table. Since it is weak and easily bent, a soft feel can be obtained in the gums, but it is not always easy to achieve both the smooth surface of the teeth and the cleanability between the teeth. In particular, from the viewpoint of improving the cleanability of the smooth surface of the tooth, in a toothbrush in which a plurality of hair bundle groups having different appearance forms are implanted on the flocking table, the hair bundles other than the taper hair bundle may be The brushing effect may be reduced.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush provided with a plurality of hair bundles having tapered hair bundles and different appearance forms on a flocking table, in addition to the cleanability of the smooth surface of the teeth, and the interdental portion that is difficult to clean. It is providing the toothbrush which can improve the cleaning power, such as a periodontal groove.

  The present invention is a toothbrush in which a plurality of bristles formed by bundling a plurality of bristles are planted on a flocking table, and a plurality of bristles arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the toothbrush at the widthwise center portion of the flocking table A main hair bundle region is formed which includes a central hair bundle row by the hair bundle and outer hair bundle rows by a plurality of hair bundles arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the toothbrush on both sides in the width direction across the central hair bundle row. The hair bundle of the central hair bundle row has a cross-sectional shape of the base end portion on the surface of the flocking table that is horizontally long having a major axis and a minor axis, and the axial direction of the major axis of the sectional shape is the width of the toothbrush. The plurality of hair bundles in the central hair bundle row are formed by combining a central taper hair bundle by a tapered bristle with a tapered tip and a center round hair bundle by a round bristle with a round tip. Alternatingly formed in the axial direction of the toothbrush The central taper bundle is configured with a length that is longer than the length of the center round bundle, and the outer bundles of the outer bundle are shorter than the center round bundle of the center bundle A toothbrush comprising the above is provided.

  According to the toothbrush of the present invention, a toothbrush having a tapered hair bundle and having a plurality of hair bundle groups having different appearance forms planted on a flocking table, in addition to the cleanability of the smooth surface of the tooth, a tooth that is difficult to clean. It is possible to improve the cleaning power of the gaps and periodontal grooves.

(A) is the schematic plan view which shows the principal part of the toothbrush which concerns on preferable 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is the simplified schematic side view. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing explaining the condition which cleans an interdental part etc. by cooperating a center taper hair | bristle bundle, a center round hair | bristle bundle, and an outer side hair | bristle bundle. It is a schematic side view which shows the principal part of the toothbrush which concerns on preferable 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows the principal part of the toothbrush of the comparative example 1. (A) is the schematic side view which shows the principal part of the toothbrush of the comparative example 2, (b) is the schematic top view. It is explanatory drawing of the tooth | gear divided into 5 on the image of an image process.

  A toothbrush 10 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) is a toothbrush provided with a gripping part (not shown), a flocking table 11, and a neck part 12 connecting them. The main body of the toothbrush 10 includes a plurality of bristle holes 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d bundled with a plurality of flock holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d formed on the flocking table 11, and tufts 15a, 15b, It is constituted by flocking (planting) each of 15c and 15d. The toothbrush 10 of the first embodiment includes a plurality of central tapered hair bundles 15a formed by a tapered bristle 14a formed in a tapered taper shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases with the tip portion directed toward the tip, and the central tapered hair bundle 15a. In relation to the other hair bundles 15b and 15c in a suitable arrangement, shape, etc., in the hair transplant table 11, high cleanability of the tooth smooth surface and the teeth by these central taper hair bundles 15a It is possible to achieve both a high cleaning power for a narrow part such as a space.

  The toothbrush 10 of the first embodiment is a toothbrush in which a plurality of bristle bundles 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d formed by bundling a plurality of bristles 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d are implanted in the flocking table 11. Then, a central bristle row 16 of a plurality of bristle bundles 15a and 15b arranged in parallel in the axial direction X of the toothbrush 10 at the central portion in the width direction Y of the flocking table 11, and the central bristle row 16 are sandwiched A main bristle bundle region 18 is formed which includes outer bristle bundles 17 formed by a plurality of bristle bundles 15c arranged in parallel in the axial direction X of the toothbrush 10 on both sides in the width direction Y. The hair bundles 15a and 15b of the center hair bundle row 16 have a cross-sectional shape at the base end portion which is a horizontally long shape (preferably a track circle shape) having a major axis and a minor axis, and the direction of the major axis of the sectional shape is Along the width direction Y of the flocking table 11. The cross-sectional shape at the base ends of the hair bundles 15a and 15b of the central hair bundle row 16 corresponds to the shape of the flock holes in which the hair bundles 15a and 16b are planted. The bristle flocking degree to the flocked hole is preferably 60 to 90%, particularly 70 to 85%, of the total cross-sectional area of the bristles planted in the flocked hole with respect to the cross-sectional area of the flocked hole. Is preferred.

  Further, the plurality of hair bundles 15a and 15b of the center hair bundle row 16 are formed by a central round hair bundle 15a formed by a tapered bristle 14a having a tapered tip and a center round hair bundle formed by a round bristle 14b having a rounded tip. 15b are alternately arranged. The center taper hair bundle 15a has a hair length longer than that of the center round hair bundle 15b, and the plurality of outer hair bundles 15c in the outer hair bundle row 17 have a hair length shorter than that of the center round hair bundle 15b. The hair length is a length from the surface of the bristle flock base 11 included in the hair bundle to the tip of the bristle, and is an average value of the bristle hair length in one hair bundle. The hair length of the center taper hair bundle 15a is preferably 0.5 mm longer than the hair length of the center round hair bundle 15b, more preferably 0.7 mm, and particularly preferably 1.0 mm. The difference between the length of the central tapered hair bundle 15a and the length of the central round hair bundle 15b is preferably 5 mm or less, and more preferably 3 mm or less.

  Furthermore, the hair length of the center taper hair bundle 15a is the half of the shortest distance p between the center round hair bundle 15b on the surface of the flock base 11 and the periphery of the flock holes 13a, 13b of the center hair bundle 15a, and the center round hair bundle 15b. It is preferable that the length is equal to or greater than the total (p / 2 + q) of the hair length q, and is preferably equal to or longer than the total of 2/3 of p and q (p × 2/3 + q). The length is preferably equal to or greater than the sum of p and q (p + q), and more preferably equal to or greater than the sum of p + q (p + q) and 1.5 mm or less of the sum of p + q (p + q). The shortest distance p between the peripheral edges of the flock holes 13a and 13b of the central taper hair bundle 15a and the central round hair bundle 15b is the second peripheral edge of the first central flock hole 13a and the second round of the central round hair bundle 15b. It is the shortest length between the periphery in which the 1st center flock hole 13a and the 2nd center flock hole 13b mutually oppose among the periphery of the center flock hole 13b. The length q of the hair length of the center round hair bundle 15b is the average length (average hair length) from the surface of the flock base 11 of the center round hair bundle 15b to the tip of the center round bristle 14b.

  In the first embodiment, the outer hair bundle 15c of the outer hair bundle row 17 has a vertically long shape (a track circle shape is preferred) in which the cross-sectional shape of the proximal end portion on the surface of the flocking table has a major axis and a minor axis. ) And the direction of the long axis of the cross-sectional shape is along the axial direction X of the toothbrush 10. Here, the cross-sectional shape of the base end portion on the surface of the flock base of the outer hair bundle 15c is approximately equal to the shape of the flock hole in which the outer hair bundle 15c is implanted.

  Furthermore, in this 1st Embodiment, the front hair | bristle bundle area | region 19 in which the several front hair | bristle bundle 15d was planted is provided in the front end side rather than the main hair | bristle bundle area | region 18 of the flocking base 11. FIG.

  In this 1st Embodiment, a toothbrush main body is a well-known thing which consists of synthetic resins, such as a polypropylene and an ABS resin, for example, The flat flocking surface of the flocking base 11 is the area | region of 1/5-1/3 of the front end side. (The form of FIG. 1 occupies approximately a quarter of the area), and a main hair bundle area 18 in the rear portion of the tip hair bundle area 19. The plurality of tip hair bundles 15d implanted in the tip hair bundle region 19 mainly contribute to the cleaning of the back teeth, and the plurality of central taper hair bundles 15a, center round hair bundles 15b implanted in the main hair bundle region 18; And the outer hair | bristle bundle 15c mainly contributes to cleaning of the tooth | gear of main parts, such as a back surface part, an interdental part, a gum, a gingival crevice. The appearance of the hair bundle group of the tip hair bundle region 19 and the hair bundle group of the central hair bundle row 16 and the outer hair bundle row 17 of the main hair bundle region 18 are different.

Here, the hair bundle groups having different appearance forms are, for example, different appearance forms of the hair bundles of the main hair bundle area 18 and the tip hair bundle area 19, and each area has a hair bundle having the same appearance form, Although different appearance forms, different appearance forms are arranged alternately, or plural kinds of appearance forms are provided according to a certain rule, and this appearance form is common in each region, and appearance between each hair bundle region The form is different.
In addition, an external appearance form is an external appearance form determined by conditions, such as the shape and cross-sectional area of a flock hole, the material and thickness of a bristle, and hair length, for example.

  In the tip hair bundle region 16 on the flocked surface of the flocking table 11, for example, a track circular shaped flocked hole 13d having a major axis of 1.2 to 2 mm and a minor axis of 0.5 to 1.2 mm on the flocking table surface is provided. The long axis direction of the tip flocking hole 13d is formed along the width direction Y of the flocking table, and 11 openings are formed. In addition, the central band-shaped portion of the main hair bundle region 18 has a track circle shape in which the short axis parallel to the axial direction X of the toothbrush 10 is 0.5 to 1.2 mm, and the long axis perpendicular to this is 2.5 to 5 mm. The first central flocking holes 13a and the second central flocking holes 13b are alternately arranged to form openings at three places, for a total of six places. Here, the shortest distance p between the peripheral edges of the first central flocking hole 13a and the second central flocking hole 13b facing each other is 1 to 3 mm, preferably 1.2 to 1.8 mm. Further, the outer belt-like portions on both sides of the main hair bundle region 18 have a major axis 1.5 to 2.5 mm parallel to the axial direction X of the toothbrush 10 and a minor axis perpendicular to the major axis 0.5 to 1.5 mm. Each of the track-shaped outer flock holes 13c is formed at eight locations, for a total of 16 locations. The long axis of the track-shaped outer flock hole 13c is preferably the same as the long axis of the central flock hole 13b or shorter than the long axis of the central flock hole 13b. In addition, the outer flock hole 13c may be circular, and the diameter when it is circular is preferably 1.0 to 1.6 mm.

  In the first embodiment, each of the eight outer flock holes 13c arranged in the outer band-like portions on both sides of the main hair bundle region 18 is the first excluding the outer flock hole 13c at one tip. The seven outer flock holes 13c arranged on the sides of the central flock hole 13a and the second central flock hole 13b are arranged in a staggered manner and are formed in two rows. It is preferable to provide the outer hair bundle 15c arranged in a staggered manner from the viewpoint that the center taper hair bundle 15a can be easily reached between teeth while supporting the center taper hair bundle 15a from the outside.

  In addition, the opening shape of these flocking holes 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d is a shape that matches the cross-sectional shape of the base end portion of the flocking table surface of the hair bundles 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d to be planted therein. .

  In the first embodiment, the tip hair bundles 15d schematically shown in white in FIG. 1 (a) are respectively planted in 11 tip flock holes 13d in the tip hair bundle region 19. In each of the three first central flock holes 13a and the second central flock holes 13b arranged alternately in the central band-like portion in the main hair bundle region 18, a central taper hair bundle 15a and a hidden line schematically shown by diagonal lines are drawn. A central round hair bundle 15b, which is shown schematically, is implanted respectively. In each of the eight outer flock holes 13c in the outer band-like portions on both sides in the main hair bundle region 18, outer follicles 15c, which are schematically shown by drawing a transverse line at one end, are respectively implanted.

  Here, the bristle 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d constituting each hair bundle 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d is made of synthetic resin such as nylon or polybutyl terephthalate (PBT), for example, 0.15 to 0.23 mm ( The filament material having a thickness of about 6 to 9 mil), and by bundling this, for example, a dozen to several tens of filaments, the bristle planted in the flocked hole with respect to the area of the flocked hole on the surface of the flocked base The hair bundles 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are formed with a total planting ratio of preferably 60 to 90%, particularly preferably 70 to 85%. Of the bristle 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d, the tapered bristle 14a is preferably made of PBT.

  In the first embodiment, the tip hair bundle 15d implanted in the tip flock hole 13d of the tip hair bundle region 19 is configured by bundling, for example, 15 tip bristle 14d having a thickness of 0.18 mm (about 7 mil). The length from the surface of the flocking table to the tip is planted with a hair length longer than the length of the central round hair bundle 15b. Further, the 11 tip hair bundles 15d implanted in the tip hair bundle region 19 constitute a bundle of bundles, and the entire upper end brush surface of these bundles is a toothbrush. When viewed from the side of the hair follicle 11, a chevron-shaped chevron shape is formed in which the two end hair bundles 15 d (hair length 11.0 mm) in the second row from the tip side of the flocking table 11 are the highest. (See FIG. 1B). The tips of the hairs of the tip bristle 14d constituting the tip hair bundle 15d are preferably round. Further, as viewed from the side of the tip hair bundle 15d, is the hair length of the tip hair bundle 15d that is the highest (the length from the surface of the flocking table to the tip) the same as the hair length of the central taper hair bundle 15a? The hair length of the central tapered hair bundle 15a is preferably longer. That is, the hair length of the central tapered hair bundle 15a is preferably 0 to 1.0 mm long, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.8 mm long.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the 11 tip hair bundles 15d planted in the tip flocking hole 13d of the tip hair bundle region 19 are all 3 in the direction perpendicular to the flocked surface of the flocking table 11. It is preferable that the toothbrush 10 is planted so as to be inclined toward the tip end side in the axial direction X of the toothbrush 10 at an inclination angle of 10 degrees. By tilting, it is possible to further improve the cleaning function mainly for the back teeth by the tip hair bundle 15d.

  And in this 1st Embodiment, the taper bristle in which the center taper hair | bristle bundle 15a planted by the 1st center flock hole 13a of the center strip | belt-shaped part of the main hair | bristle bundle area | region 18 has a taper shape where the front-end | tip is tapered. It is configured by bundling 38 14a, and is planted with a hair length that is longer from the flocked surface than the center round hair bundle 15b and the outer hair bundle 15c described later. Further, from the viewpoint of a soft feel to the gums, the thickness of the tapered bristle 14a of the central tapered hair bundle 15a on the surface of the flocking table is preferably 0.15 to 0.25 mm, and more preferably 0.15. It is preferably -0.21 mm, and is preferably the same as the round bristle 14b of the central round bristle bundle 15b or thinner than the round bristle 14b of the central round bristle bundle 15b.

  Here, it is preferable that the length of the tapered portion on the tip end side of the tapered bristle 14a constituting the central tapered hair bundle 15a is 5 to 10 mm. By setting the length of the tapered portion of the tapered bristle 14a to 5 to 10 mm, it becomes easy to bend when the toothbrush 10 is wiped, and the taper bristle 14a is supported by the center round bristle bundle 15b and inserted between the teeth. Can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the central round hair bundle 15b implanted in the second central flock hole 13b of the central band-like portion of the main hair bundle region 18 bundles 38 round bristles 14b having a rounded tip. It is constructed with a bristle length of 9 to 11 mm from the flocked surface. Further, the thickness of the round bristle 14b on the surface of the flocking table is preferably 0.17 to 0.26 mm from the viewpoint of supporting the tapered bristle 14a of the central tapered hair bundle 15a and improving the cleanability of the smooth surface. Furthermore, it is preferable that it is 0.17-0.23 mm, and it is preferable that it is thicker than the taper bristle 14a of the center taper hair | bristle bundle 15a.

  The center round hair bundle 15b is planted with a hair length q longer than the length of the outer hair bundle 15c from the planted surface. Moreover, it is preferable that the distance p between the flock holes 13a and 13b of the adjacent center round hair | bristle bundle 15b and the center taper hair | bristle bundle 15a is 1-3 mm, and it is more preferable that it is 1-2 mm. The length (hair length) from the flocking table surface to the tip of the central taper hair bundle 15a is the length (hair length) q from the flocking table surface to the tip of the central round hair bundle 15b, and the central taper hair bundle 15a and the center. It is preferable that the length is not less than the total length (p / 2 + q) of half of the shortest distance p between the facing edges of the flock holes 13a and 13b of the round hair bundle 15b, and 2/3 of p and q The total length of (p × 2/3 + q) is preferably equal to or greater than the total length of p and q (p + q), and is preferably 0 to 1 than the total of p and q (p + q). .5 mm long is preferred. The length of the central taper hair bundle 15a is the total length (p / 2 + q) of the length q of the central round hair bundle 15b and the half of the distance p between the central taper hair bundle 15a and the central round hair bundle 15b. With the above, when the toothbrush 10 is reciprocated in the axial direction, the taper portion of the taper bristle 14a of the center taper bristles 15a comes into contact with the tip side of the center round bristles 15b and further combs. It is stabbed (a state in which the taper bristle 14a intersects the round bristle 14b on the front end side of the bristle), and the tip of the taper bristle 14a of the central taper hair bundle 15a is suitable for insertion between teeth. Protrusively with a long length. The central tapered hair bundle 15a can be delivered to a narrow gap such as a gap between the teeth of the tapered bristle 14a while being supported by the central round hair bundle 15b in a comb-like manner.

  In the first embodiment, the central tapered hair bundle 15a and the central round hair bundle 15b constituting the central hair bundle row 16 of the central band-like portion of the main hair bundle region 18 are both of the flocked surface of the flocking table 11. The toothbrush 10 is tilted to the distal end side in the axial direction X at a tilt angle of preferably 5 to 15 degrees, more preferably 7 to 12 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. As a result, the cleanability between the teeth can be improved even in the back teeth, and the cleanability of the smooth surface can be improved.

In the first embodiment, the outer hair bundles 15c implanted in the outer flock holes 13c of the outer band-like portions on both sides of the main hair bundle region 18 are preferably 48 outer bristle 14c having a rounded tip. It is made up of bundles. The thickness of the outer bristle 14c is preferably the same as that of the tip bristle 14d, preferably 0.15 to 0.25 mm, and more preferably 0.15 to 0.21 mm. The longest hair length of the outer bristle 14c (outer hair bundle 15c) (length from the surface of the flocking table to the tip) is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm shorter than the hair length q of the center round hair bundle 15b. More preferably, the hair length 15b is 0.5 to 1.5 mm shorter than the hair length q.
In the first embodiment, the outer hair bundle 15c is preferably formed such that the one end at the front end or the rear end in the major axis direction is the highest and the other end is the lowest, and further from the one end to the other end. It is preferable that the outer bristle bundle 15c is formed to have a concave shape that is depressed toward the flocking base, and a concave curved shape is particularly preferred. In this case, the hair length of the outer bristle 14c at the highest end is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm shorter than the hair length q of the center round bristle 14b, and more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm shorter. The outer bristle 14c at the lowermost end is preferably 0.5 to 4 mm shorter than the hair length q of the center round bristle 14b, and more preferably 1.5 to 3 mm shorter. It is preferable that the bristle 14c at the lower end of the outer hair bundle 15c has a bristle length that is 1 to 3 mm shorter than the highest bristle length at one end. By making the outer bristle 14c shorter than the central round bristle 14b, the outer bristle bundle 15c moderately supports the central tapered bristle bundle 15a from the outside, and the tapered bristle 14a can easily enter the back of the interdental portion. Further, by changing the height of the tip of the outer hair bundle 15c, the further outer hair bundle 15c cooperates with the central round hair bundle 15b and the central tapered hair bundle 15a to improve the cleanability of the smooth surface of the teeth. In addition, it is possible to improve the cleanability behind the interdental portion.

  And according to the toothbrush 10 of this 1st Embodiment provided with the above-mentioned structure, the center taper hair | bristle bundle 15a is planted by the arrangement | positioning, shape, etc. which are suitable for the flock base 11 in connection with other hair | bristle bundles 15b, 15c, 15d. Thus, in addition to the cleanability of the smooth surface of the teeth, it is possible to improve the cleaning power of interproximal parts and periodontal grooves that are difficult to clean.

  That is, according to the toothbrush 10 of the first embodiment, in the main bristle bundle region 18, the bristle bundles 15a and 15b of the central bristle bundle row 16 have a major axis and a minor axis in cross-sectional shape at the base end. While having a cross-sectional shape (track circular shape), the long axis direction is planted as the width direction Y of the flocking table 11, and the plurality of hair bundles 15a and 15b of the center hair bundle row 16 have tapered ends. The taper bristle 14a and the central taper hair bundle 15a having a high bristle length, and the center bristle bundle 15b having a low bristle length and a round bristle 14b having a round tip are arranged alternately. The central taper hair bundle 15 a is configured with a hair length longer than the hair length of the center round hair bundle 15 b, and the plurality of outer hair bundles 15 c of the outer hair bundle row 17 are arranged in the center row of the center hair bundle row 16. It is configured with short hair length than the de hair bundle 15b.

  Therefore, according to the toothbrush 10 of the first embodiment, even when the taper portion of the taper bristle 14a of the center taper bristle bundle 15a does not appear when the toothbrush 10 is reciprocated in the axial direction, the center round hair bundle 15b is supported in the brushing direction, and the tip of the taper bristle 14a of the central taper hair bundle 15a can be easily delivered to a narrow gap such as between teeth. Furthermore, the center taper hair bundle 15a is a sum of the center round hair bundle 15b and half of the shortest distance p between the peripheral edges of the flock holes 13a and 13b of the center taper hair bundle 15a and the hair length q of the center round hair bundle 15b (p Since the length of the hair is equal to or longer than / 2 + q), the tapered portion of the tapered bristle 14a of the central tapered hair bundle 15a comes into contact with the distal end side of the central round hair bundle 15b, and is further comb-like ( On the tip side of the bristle, the tapered bristle 14a intersects the round bristle 14b), and the tip of the tapered bristle 14a of the central taper hair bundle 15a has an appropriate length for insertion between the teeth. It becomes possible to project at. The central tapered hair bundle 15a can be more effectively delivered to the narrow gap such as the teeth between the tips of the tapered bristle 14a while being supported by the central round hair bundle 15b like a comb.

  For example, when cleaning the toothbrush 10 while reciprocatingly sliding the toothbrush 10 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction X, the outer hair bundle 15c appropriately supports the central tapered hair bundle 15a from the outside. Since the tapered bristle 14a can easily enter the back of the interdental portion, the tapered portion at the tip of the tapered bristle 14a can be securely delivered to the narrow gap.

  Thus, according to the toothbrush 10 of the first embodiment, it is possible to effectively improve the cleaning power for the back part of the interproximal part, the periodontal pocket, or the gum line boundary, which is difficult to clean.

  FIG. 3 shows a toothbrush 20 according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The toothbrush 20 of FIG. 3 is the same as the toothbrush 10 according to the first embodiment except that the bristle length of the outer bristle 14c of the outer bristle bundle 15c is made constant.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, the horizontal or vertical cross-sectional shape having the long axis and the short axis of the hair bundle does not necessarily need to be a track circular shape, and may be an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a rectangular shape, or the like. In addition, the outer bristle of the outer hair bundle does not necessarily have a round shape at the tip, but from the viewpoint of effectively supporting the central taper hair bundle 15a, the tip is round or tapered. In this case, it is preferable that the length of the tapered portion is shorter than the tapered bristle 14a of the central tapered hair bundle 15a. The bristle of the tip hair bundle does not necessarily have a round shape at the tip, but from the point of efficiently polishing the back teeth, in the case of a tapered shape, the length of the tapered portion is longer than the tapered bristle 14a of the central taper hair bundle 15a. Is preferably short.

  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.

  A toothbrush having the same configuration as the toothbrush 10 of the first embodiment was used as the toothbrush of Example 1. In the toothbrush of Example 1, the tip flocking hole 13d had a circular track shape with a short axis of 0.86 mm and a long axis of 1.6 mm. The first central flocking hole 13a and the second central flocking hole 13b were formed into a track circle shape having a short axis of 0.8 mm and a long axis of 3 mm. The outer flock hole 13c was formed into a track circle shape having a short axis of 0.8 mm and a long axis of 2.2 mm. The shortest distance p between the peripheral edges of the first central flocking hole 13a and the second central flocking hole 13b was 1.5 mm. A distance s of 0.5 mm was maintained between the edge in the width direction Y of the flock base of the first central flocking hole 13a and the second central flocking hole 13b and the inner edge of the inner outer flocking hole 13c. . The thickness of the tapered bristle 14a constituting the central tapered hair bundle 15a was 0.18 mm, and the thickness of the round bristle 14b constituting the central round hair bundle 15b was 0.20 mm. The hair length of the center taper hair bundle 15a was 12 mm, and the hair length p of the center round hair bundle 15b was 10.3 mm. In the outer hair bundle 15c, the longest portion has a bristle length of 9 mm, the shortest portion has a bristle length of 6.5 mm, and the bristle thickness is 0.18 mm. In the hair bundle group by the tip hair bundle 15d, the hair length of the longest portion was 11 mm, the hair length of the shortest portion was 9 mm, and the thickness of the bristle was 0.18 mm. The tip bristle bundle 15d was tilted toward the tip end side in the axial direction X of the toothbrush at an inclination angle of 5 degrees. The center taper bristles 15a and the center round bristles 15b were tilted toward the tip side in the axial direction X of the toothbrush at an inclination angle of 10 degrees.

  A toothbrush having the same configuration as the toothbrush 20 of the second embodiment was used as the toothbrush of Example 2. In the toothbrush of Example 2, the constant bristle length of the outer bristle 14c of the outer bristle bundle 15c was 8.0 mm.

  A toothbrush in which the lengths of the bristles in the central bunch row and the longest bristles of the outer bunch were all set to the same length was used as the toothbrush of Comparative Example 1. Specifically, the hair length of the central hair bundle and the longest hair length of the outer hair bundle are all set to 10.5 mm, the shortest hair length of the outer hair bundle is set to 8 mm, and the longest hair length of the tip hair bundle is set to the center. The length of the bristle of the hair bundle 15d is set to be 1 mm longer than the hair length of the hair bundle, and the central bristle row is composed of a central round hair bundle of round bristle, the thickness of the round bristle is 0.20 mm. A toothbrush having the same configuration as the toothbrush of Example 1 was used as the toothbrush of Comparative Example 1 except that the thickness of the toothbrush was 0.20 mm.

  A toothbrush having the configuration shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B was used as a toothbrush of Comparative Example 2. In the toothbrush of Comparative Example 1, the tip bristle bundle 15d ′ having a large bundle diameter is planted in the tip bristle region, and the tip bristle hole 16d ′ has a width in the axial direction X of the toothbrush of 5.5 mm, A substantially semi-elliptical shape with a width in the width direction Y of 6.5 mm was used. The first central flocking hole 13a ′ into which the central taper hair bundle 15a ′ is implanted has a track circle shape with a minor axis of 0.8 mm and a major axis of 3.2 mm, and the second round in which the central round hair bundle 15b ′ is implanted. The center flock hole 13b ′ was formed into a track circle shape having a short axis of 1.6 mm and a long axis of 3.2 mm. The flocking hole into which the outer hair bundles 15c ′ and 15c ″ are flocked is a circular first outer flocking hole 13c ′ having a diameter of 1.8 mm, and a circular track shape having a short axis of 0.8 mm and a long axis of 2.2 mm. Of the second outer flock holes 13c ″. The thickness of the bristle constituting the tip hair bundle 15d 'was 0.18 mm. The thickness of the taper bristle constituting the central taper hair bundle 15a 'was 0.18 mm, and the thickness of the round bristle constituting the center round hair bundle 15b' was 0.15 mm. The thickness of the bristle constituting the outer hair bundle 15c ′, 15c ″ was 0.18 mm. The hair length of the tip hair bundle 15d ′ was 11.5 mm. The hair length of the central taper hair bundle 15a ′ was 12 mm. The hair length of the center round hair bundle 15b ′ is 10 mm. The hair length of the outer hair bundle 15c ′ planted in the first outer flock hole 13c ′ is 10 mm, and the outer hair planted in the second outer flock hole 13c ″. The bristles of the bundle 15c ″ were set to 12 mm. The tip bristles 15d ′ and the outer bristles 15c ′, 15c ″ were tilted toward the tip end in the axial direction X of the toothbrush at an inclination angle of 15 degrees. The central taper bristles 15a 'and the center round bristles 15b' were tilted toward the rear end side in the axial direction X of the toothbrush at an inclination angle of 15 degrees.

  About the toothbrush of Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2, the plaque removal rate was evaluated by the following evaluation method. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1. Moreover, about the toothbrush of Example 2, the plaque removal rate was evaluated by the following evaluation method. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

[Evaluation method of plaque removal rate]
Brushing machine conditions Load 200g
Speed 120rpm
Amplitude 30mm
Number of times 10 times As a model, a standard jaw model (upper maxillary back cheek side) was used. As a dental plaque model, alcohol-based ink was applied to the entire tooth surface and left for 3 minutes. Brushing is performed on the back teeth of the standard jaw model from the back of the standard jaw model according to the above-mentioned brushing machine conditions, and image processing is performed on the second tooth from the back of the back teeth after performing the tooth height on the image. The ink is divided into five at a horizontal distance orthogonal to the direction (see FIG. 6), the center three of the divided regions are smooth surfaces, and both sides are interdental, and the ink after brushing with the toothbrushes of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 The area without the area (area not colored) was determined, and the ratio to the total area was determined.
As Tables 1 and 2 show, the toothbrushes of Examples 1 and 2 obtained a high plaque removal rate even at the interdental part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Toothbrush 11 Flocking base 12 Neck part 13a 1st center flocking hole 13b 2nd center flocking hole 13c Outer flocking hole 13d Tip flocking hole 14a Tapered bristle 14b Round bristles 14c Outer bristles 14d Tip bristles 15a Central taper bristles 15b Central round bristles 15c Outer hair bundle 15d Tip hair bundle 16 Central hair bundle row 17 Outer hair bundle row 18 Main hair bundle region 19 Tip hair bundle region X Toothbrush axial direction Y Rooting table width direction

Claims (6)

A toothbrush in which a plurality of bristle bundling bristles are planted on a flocking table,
A central bristle row of a plurality of hair bundles arranged side by side in the axial direction of the toothbrush at the central portion in the width direction of the flocking table and an axial direction of the toothbrush on both side portions in the width direction across the central bristle row A main hair bundle region including an outer hair bundle row formed by a plurality of hair bundles is formed;
The hair bundle of the central hair bundle row has a cross-sectional shape of the base end portion on the surface of the flocking table that is horizontally long having a major axis and a minor axis, and the axial direction of the major axis of the sectional shape is along the width direction of the toothbrush. And
In addition, the plurality of hair bundles in the central bristle row alternate between the central taper hair bundle by the taper bristle with the tapered tip and the central round hair bundle by the round bristle with the round tip in the axial direction of the toothbrush. Arranged in
The central taper hair bundle is composed of a hair length longer than that of the center round hair bundle,
The toothbrush in which the plurality of outer hair bundles of the outer hair bundle row are configured with a shorter bristle length than the center round hair bundle of the central hair bundle row.   The outer hair bundle of the outer hair bundle row has a longitudinal cross-sectional shape in which the cross-sectional shape of the proximal end portion on the surface of the flocking table has a major axis and a minor axis, and the axial direction of the major axis is the axial direction of the toothbrush The toothbrush of Claim 1 currently planted along.   The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the central bristle bundle is tilted to the tip side of the toothbrush at 5 to 15 degrees with respect to a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flocking table.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a length of a tapered portion of the tapered bristle of the central tapered hair bundle constituting the central bristle bundle is 5 to 10 mm.   The central tapered hair bundle constituting the central hair bundle row is a half of the shortest distance between the central round hair bundle on the surface of the flocked table and the peripheral edge of the flock hole of the central tapered hair bundle and the hair length of the central round hair bundle. The toothbrush of any one of Claims 1-4 comprised by the bristle length more than the sum total.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a hair length of the outer hair bundle is 0.2 to 2 mm shorter than a hair length of a center round hair bundle constituting the center hair bundle row.

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