JP2016010511A - toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toothbrush that has a high followability of a head part to a tooth flank and dentition, and further has a high entry force to the back tooth direction, and thereby is also improved in the brushing performance, in the toothbrush comprising a wide head part.SOLUTION: A head part 10 is formed by using a polypropylene resin as a material. The head part 10 is formed of a planted surface 11 with brushes planted on the surface. The planted surface 11 is formed of multiple planted pores 12. The thickness T of the head part 10 is 2-4 mm. The head part 10 has the width W being a vertical direction in Fig. 1 formed in the range of 3.5-10 times to this thickness T on the basis of the thickness T. A length L being a lateral direction in the Fig. 1 to the thickness T is formed in the range of 3.5-13 times. The head part 10 is formed in a tapered shape toward a tip 10a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush.

  Caries and alveolar pyorrhea are diseases caused by bacteria, and as a countermeasure, cleaning of the oral cavity, specifically, removal of plaque by brushing with a toothbrush is effective.

  In the toothbrush, plaque is removed by brushing, and therefore, advancement of the head portion of the toothbrush into the oral cavity and brushing properties are problems. That is, if the head portion is made smaller, the advance input into the oral cavity of the head portion increases, but the range that can be polished by one brushing is reduced, and the brushing property is lowered. Also, if the thickness of the head part is reduced, the advancement into the oral cavity will also increase, but the strength of the head part will decrease, and the head part will warp in the oral cavity when hitting the cheek side tooth surface. It is easy to bend, the followability to the tooth surface and the dentition is deteriorated, and the brushing property is lowered. Due to such problems, various studies have been made on the size, thickness, or shape of the head portion (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-238928 JP-A-6-54717

  In recent years, studies have been made to increase the vertical length and width of the head portion of the toothbrush so that a wider range can be polished by a single brushing. However, when the vertical length and width of the head portion are increased, the followability to the tooth surface and the surface of the dentition is poor, and the cleaning effect cannot be sufficiently obtained. Further, particularly in the back tooth portion, there is a problem that if the head portion does not have followability, it is difficult to enter and the region becomes insufficiently cleaned. Furthermore, a toothbrush with a large head part has the subject that the discomfort by the contact pressure to a cheek is large.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush having a wide head portion, which has high followability to the tooth surface and dentition of the head portion, and thereby to the back tooth direction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush having a high advance input and improved brushing performance.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a toothbrush comprising: a head part on which a flocked surface is formed; and a neck part that connects the head part and a handle part serving as a handle; The thickness of the part is 2 mm to 4 mm, the width of the head part is 3.5 times to 10 times the thickness of the head part, and the head part from the boundary between the neck part and the head part The length to the tip of was made 3.5 times to 13 times.

  According to the present invention, the thickness of the head portion is formed as thin as 2 mm to 4 mm, the optimum width and length are set with respect to this thickness, and the head portion having an appropriate area is formed. The strength can be maintained, and the brushing can be brushed at a time so that a wide range can be polished. In particular, according to the present invention, the head part is widened and the area of the head part is increased, so that the area of the head part hitting the cheek and received from the cheek is increased, and the head part is thinned so that the head part is bent. This makes it easier to follow the tooth surface and dentition of the head part, which improves the advancement and brushing of the back teeth, and the cheeks that the user receives even with a wide and large head part. Discomfort can be reduced.

  Preferably, the tip of the head portion has a tapered shape. According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce a user's discomfort due to the tip of the head portion hitting the cheek. In particular, even when cleaning by the bath method, it can be efficiently cleaned even in a narrow space in the oral cavity, and discomfort due to pressure on the cheek is reduced.

  Preferably, a plurality of flocked holes are formed on the flocked surface, and a ratio of the total opening area of the flocked holes to the area of the flocked surface is 10 to 40%. As a result, the head portion is more easily bent than when the ratio of the total opening area of the flock hole is small, and the followability of the head portion with respect to the tooth surface and the dentition direction is enhanced. Can be reduced. On the other hand, if the ratio of the total opening area of the flocked hole exceeds 40%, the strength of the head portion may be insufficient.

  Preferably, the head portion is made of polypropylene. Thereby, compared with the head part which consists of polyacetal etc., the followability to the tooth surface and dentition which were more excellent is acquired, and the discomfort by the pressure to a cheek is reduced. In general, when the head portion is made thin with a thickness of 4 mm or less, the head portion is likely to be damaged when used for a long period of time, but the thickness of the head portion and the width and length with respect to the thickness are within the range specified by the present invention. In some cases, the head part can be made more difficult to break by forming the head part from polypropylene.

It is a top view of the toothbrush which concerns on embodiment. It is a side view of the toothbrush which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as this embodiment) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the description of the present embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible in each drawing, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  First, the structure of the toothbrush 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a head portion 10 of the toothbrush 1, a neck portion 20, and a part of a handle 30 used by a user to hold the toothbrush 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the toothbrush 1 in FIG. 1. FIG. In addition, about the neck part 20 and the handle | steering-wheel 30, since it is a structure without a limitation in this invention, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head portion 10 is formed by using a polypropylene resin as a material. The head portion 10 is formed with a flocked surface 11 on which a brush is flocked. A plurality of flock holes 12 are formed on the flocked surface 11. The flocking hole 12 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. In the flock hole 12, for example, a bunch of bundles of a plurality of brushes (not shown) is folded in half, and a flat wire is sandwiched between them and inserted into the flock hole to be fixed. Is planted.

  Further, the hair bundle to be implanted in the flocking hole 12 is divided into a central region and an outer region M located across the central region, and the diameter of the brush in the outer region M is made smaller than the diameter of the brush in the central region. Can do. That is, it is possible to arrange a thin brush for massage in the outer region M and plant a brush for cleaning in the central region.

  Here, the total opening area of the flocked hole 12 is preferably 10 to 40% with respect to the area of the flocked surface 11. By doing so, the head portion 10 is more easily bent than the case where the ratio of the total area of the flock holes 12 is less than 10%, so that the followability of the head portion 10 with respect to the tooth surface and the dentition direction is enhanced, and at the same time The discomfort due to the pressure on the cheek of the part 10 can be reduced. On the other hand, if the ratio of the total opening area of the flocking hole 12 exceeds 40%, the strength of the head portion 10 may be insufficient. The area of the flocked surface refers to the area of the flocked surface 11 on the tip 10a side from the boundary 10b, and the total opening area of the flocked hole 12 is the sum of the open areas of all the flocked holes 12.

  The toothbrush 1 of this embodiment is characterized by the shape of the head portion 10. That is, if the head portion 10 is formed larger, the uncomfortable feeling on the cheek increases. Therefore, by reducing the thickness of the head portion 10, the balance between the brushing property and the uncomfortable feeling on the cheek is also achieved. Furthermore, by enlarging the head part 10, the area received from the cheek increases by hitting the cheek, so that the head part 10 is easily bent and the followability to the tooth surface and the dentition is increased. The balance is also planned.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the head portion 10 has a wide type shape that expands from the boundary 10 b with the neck portion 20 toward the widest portion W. The head portion 10 is formed in a flat plate shape obtained by gently cutting off the four corners of the rectangle, and is bent in a tapered manner toward the tip 10a, and has a shape with the largest curvature at the tip 10a. Further, the head portion 10 is formed in a flat plate shape with a constant thickness up to the neck portion 20 as shown in FIG. The head portion 10 has a thickness T of 2 mm to 4 mm. Here, when the thickness of the head part is 4 mm or more, the user feels uncomfortable when the head part hits the oral cavity. On the other hand, if the thickness of the head portion is 2 mm or less, the strength is insufficient no matter how the area of the head portion is configured.

  Furthermore, the head unit 10 is configured by adjusting the width W and the length L on the basis of the thickness T, thereby configuring the head unit 10 with an optimal area. That is, from the viewpoint of excellent followability to tooth surfaces and dentition, gum massage effect and cheek discomfort reduction effect, the width W in the vertical direction in FIG. It is formed in the range of 10 to 10 times. Preferably, the width W is 4 times to 9 times the thickness T, and more preferably the width W is 4 times to 6.5 times. Specifically, if the width W with respect to the thickness T is less than 3.5 times, sufficient followability to the tooth surface and dentition, massage effect of gums and reduction effect of cheek discomfort cannot be obtained. If it exceeds 10 times, the width W becomes too large and it becomes difficult to operate in the oral cavity, and the effect of reducing cheek discomfort cannot be sufficiently obtained.

  In addition, from the viewpoint of excellent followability to tooth surfaces and dentition, massage effect of gums and reduction effect of cheek discomfort, length L in the left-right direction in FIG. It is formed in the range of 5 to 13 times. Preferably, the length L is 6 to 13 times the thickness T, and more preferably the length L is 7 to 10 times. Specifically, when the length L with respect to the thickness T is less than 3.5 times, the followability to the tooth surface and the dentition and the effect of reducing cheek discomfort cannot be sufficiently obtained, and 13 times as much. If it exceeds, the length L becomes too large and not only is difficult to operate in the oral cavity, but also the ratio of the length L to the thickness T is increased, so that the contact with the cheeks becomes excessively strong during cleaning, and the strength It becomes insufficient.

  Here, the width W refers to the distance of the widest portion of the head portion 10, and the length L refers to the distance from the boundary 10b with the neck portion 20 to the tip 10a of the head portion. Further, the boundary 10b between the head portion 10 and the neck portion 20 may be clearly shown as shown in FIG. 1, but in the case where the head portion 10 and the neck portion 20 are formed seamlessly. The boundary 10b is a position where a distance equivalent to the distance from the tip 10a to the nearest flock hole 12 is taken from the flock hole 12 formed on the neck part 20 side to the neck part 20 side.

  According to the toothbrush 1 of the present embodiment as described above, the thickness of the head portion 10 is formed as thin as 2 mm to 4 mm, the width W is 3.5 times to 10 times the thickness, and the length L is By adjusting the thickness, width and length to 3.5 to 13 times, a thin head having a relatively large area can be formed. Thereby, while maintaining the strength of the head portion 10, the hair bundle can be arranged in a wide range, so that a wide range can be polished by one brushing, so that the brushing property can be improved.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the head portion 10 is thin and wide and the area of the head portion 10 is relatively large, the area that the head portion 10 hits the cheek and receives from the cheek increases, and the head portion 10 is easily bent. Therefore, the followability to the tooth surface and the dentition is high, and even the wide head portion 10 can reduce cheek discomfort experienced by the user.

  Such followability to the tooth surface and dentition of the head portion 10 is for massage in the outer region M when a thin brush for massage is arranged in the outer region M and a cleaning brush is planted in the central region. To improve the brush massage effect. That is, when there is no followability to the tooth surface and dentition like the conventional head part, the brush for massage becomes difficult to contact a gum, and it was difficult to obtain a sufficient massage effect. In this respect, since the head 10 of the present embodiment has high followability to the tooth surface and the dentition, the massage brush can be brought into firm contact with the gums.

  Furthermore, since the tip of the head part 10 has a tapered shape, the advancing input into the oral cavity is high, and the back teeth can be reliably polished. Moreover, the discomfort experienced by the user when the tip of the head unit 10 hits the cheek can be reduced. In particular, during cleaning by the bath method, even in a narrow space in the oral cavity, the head portion 10 can be efficiently cleaned by a brush planted at the tapered tip, and discomfort due to pressure on the cheek is reduced. .

  Furthermore, by forming the head portion 10 from polypropylene, it is possible to obtain better followability to the tooth surface and dentition compared to the case where polyacetal or the like is used, and the discomfort due to pressure on the cheek is reduced. The In general, when the head portion 10 is thinned to 4 mm or less, the head portion 10 is easily damaged when used for a long period of time. However, the present invention defines the thickness of the head portion 10 and the width and length with respect to the thickness. In the case of the range, by forming the head portion 10 from polypropylene, the head portion 10 can be further prevented from being damaged.

[Example]
Then, the test example implemented using the toothbrush 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
(contents of the test)
The oral cavity was cleaned by 10 testers using the toothbrush 1 of the example or the toothbrush of the comparative example. In addition, regarding the followability to the tooth surface and dentition of the toothbrush, each tester had the following evaluation items (1) and (2), “good” 5, “slightly good” 4, “neither” 3, Evaluation was based on “slightly bad” 2 and “bad” 1. For evaluation item (3), “I don't feel” 5, “I don't feel much” 4, “I feel but don't care” 3, “I feel a little uncomfortable” 2, “I feel a little uncomfortable” 1 Was evaluated on the basis of. In addition, the total score of 10 testers is 40 or more and 50 or less is “◎”, 30 or more and less than 40 is “◯”, 20 or more and less than 30 is “△”, and less than 20 is “×”. It was.

[Evaluation item]
(1) Followability: The head portion can be easily inserted into the back teeth due to the ease of bending, and followability to the tooth surface and dentition.
(2) gum massage effect (3) cheek discomfort

(Test results)
The above results are shown in Table 1-1, Table 1-2 and Table 2 below. Here, the area of the flocked surface in Table 1-1, Table 1-2, and Table 2 refers to the area of the flocked surface 11 in the region on the tip 10a side from the boundary 10b, and the total opening area of the flocked hole 12 and Is the sum of the opening areas of all flock holes. In Table 1-1, Table 1-2, and Table 2, the filling rate is obtained by multiplying the cross-sectional area of one brush planted in the flocked hole by the number of brushes planted in one flocked hole. It is a ratio obtained by calculating the total cross-sectional area of the hair bundle to be planted in one flocked hole and dividing this value by the opening area of one flocked hole. In other words, this is a value indicating at what density the brush is implanted in one flocked hole. The brush material uses polybutylene terephthalate resin in common with the examples and comparative examples, and the brush is implanted by folding the hair bundle in half and driving a flat wire.

  As shown in Tables 1-1 and 1-2, when the head unit 10 has a thickness T as a reference and the value is 1, the ratio W / T to the width W is 3.5 to 8. 7 and the ratio L / T to the length L, in the examples, when the L / T is 3.8 to 13, the evaluations (1) to (3) are “◎”, “○” or “Δ” "Is attached, indicating good results. In particular, in Examples 1, 4 to 7, 9 and 11 to 13 where “Δ” is not given in the evaluation, W / T is 3.6 to 8.7 and L / T is 6.1 to 13 In this range, better results are obtained. Furthermore, in Examples 5 to 7, 9, 11, and 12, all of which were evaluated as “◎”, W / T was 4.2 to 6.1, and L / T was 7 to 10, and this range. The best results are obtained.

  On the other hand, as shown in Table 2, the width W with respect to the thickness T is increased 3.5 times as in the case of W / T of Comparative Example 3 being 2.5 and L / T being 6.5. In the case of not satisfying, even if the length L is within the range of 3.5 times to 13 times with respect to the thickness T, the evaluation was “x” in any of the evaluations (1) to (3). . Similarly, when the width W with respect to the thickness T exceeds 10 times as in the case of the comparative example 4 where the W / T is 11 and the L / T is 12.5, the length L with respect to the thickness T Was in the range of 3.5 to 13 times, it was “x” in the evaluation of (3). Although the results are not shown, the toothbrush of Comparative Example 4 has an excessively large length L and is difficult to operate in the oral cavity.

  On the contrary, as shown in Comparative Example 5, even when the width L is in the range of 3.5 to 10 times the thickness T, the length L with respect to the thickness T exceeds 13 times. Since the area in the length direction with respect to the thickness of the head portion becomes large and the contact with the cheeks and the like becomes excessively strong during cleaning, the strength becomes insufficient, breakage, etc. occur and cannot be appropriately evaluated (1) to (3 ) Was “x” in all evaluations.

  In the first place, in Comparative Example 1, since the thickness T of the head portion is 1.9 mm and the thickness of the head portion is not between 2 mm and 4 mm, damage or the like occurs due to insufficient strength, and thus cannot be evaluated appropriately. In all the evaluations (1) to (3), it was “x”. Further, in Comparative Example 2, since the thickness T of the head portion is 4.5 mm, the thickness of the head portion exceeds 4 mm, and the thickness T of the head portion is thick, The evaluation was “x”.

  Looking at the above examples and comparative examples, in the toothbrush 1, the head portion 10 has a width W in the range of 3.5 to 10 times and a length L in the range of 3.5 to 13 times the thickness T. It was found that the film is preferably formed in the range of.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the head part of the toothbrush in Table 1-1, Table 1-2, and Table 2 is tapered toward the tip 10a, and the shape in which the curvature at the tip 10a is maximized. When the test was performed using a sample having a dent, but when the same test was performed when the tip 10a did not have a tapered shape, the “following performance” and “gum massage effect” were equivalent. Although it was a result, the direction which had the taper shape was able to clean a back tooth with small operation | movement, and there existed the outstanding effect about "discomfort of a cheek".

  The embodiment and the modification of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. The above specific examples are illustrations for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention only to the embodiments and modifications. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. For example, each element included in each of the specific examples described above and its arrangement, material, shape, size, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Toothbrush, 10: Head part, 10a: Tip, 10b: Boundary, 11: Flocked surface, 12: Flocked hole, 20: Neck part, 30: Handle

Claims (4)

A toothbrush comprising a head part on which a flocked surface is formed and a neck part connecting the head part and a handle part to be a handle,
The head portion has a thickness of 2 mm to 4 mm,
The width of the head part is 3.5 to 10 times the thickness of the head part, and the length from the boundary between the neck part and the head part to the tip of the head part is 3.5. Toothbrush with double to 13 times.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the head portion has a tapered shape. A plurality of flocked holes are formed on the flocked surface,
The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a ratio of a total area of the flock holes to an area of the flocked surface is 10 to 40%.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the head portion is made of polypropylene.