JPH0334922B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention can effectively brush the tooth surface and remove plaque attached to the tooth surface without damaging the gums, and can also clean the occlusal area, between the teeth, and even the gums. The present invention relates to a toothbrush that can effectively remove plaque accumulated at the boundary between the toothbrush and the toothbrush. [Prior art] It has recently been discovered that the two major dental diseases, caries and periodontal disease, are both caused by dental plaque.As a result, in order to prevent the above-mentioned diseases, the scraping method, the Fone's method, and the It has been found that it is preferable to perform a brushing method such as the bath method that can effectively remove plaque using the bristles of a toothbrush. In these brushing methods, the tips of the bristles come into contact with the gums while applying a relatively strong pressing force.
Conventionally, the bristles of toothbrushes developed for these brushing methods use relatively soft or thin bristles to prevent damage to the gums. [Problem to be solved by the invention] However, as a result of a recent study in which a pressure sensor was attached to the tooth surface to measure the correlation between the thickness of the hair, brushing pressure, and plaque removal effectiveness, it was found that the hair is thicker. It was found that the higher the brushing pressure, the higher the plaque removal effect. This shows that it is better to have thicker bristles to increase the brushing pressure for the original purpose of removing plaque, but on the other hand, it is also true that thinner bristles are better in order to prevent damage to the gums. There was a contradictory relationship between the two. One way to resolve this contradictory relationship is to increase the brushing pressure by increasing the density of the flocked hair while using thinner hairs. It is necessary to increase the diameter of the tuft holes, or to make the tuft holes denser.If the diameter of the tuft holes is made large, there is a problem that the tufts feel hard and have a poor usability. In addition, if the tuft holes are closely spaced, there is a problem that the tuft stand is likely to break due to mechanical fatigue or chemical action. There is also the problem that the water drains poorly, making it easy to become unsanitary. In order to solve these problems, the present inventor came up with the idea of slanting the hair bundle. Conventionally, slanting the hair bundle itself was disclosed in Utility Model Publication No. 54-31095 and Utility Model Application Publication No. 1973.
-121765 and Utility Model Application Publication No. 47-3972, etc., but these are not intended to increase brushing pressure, and therefore their configurations are inappropriate for increasing brushing pressure. Ta. In addition to these, techniques for tilting hair bundles include Utility Model Application No. 54-20872, Utility Model Application No. 60-29527,
There are Japanese Utility Model Application No. 55-109428, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 57-85238, and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 57-134113, but these have hair bundles tilted only in either the length direction or the width direction of the flocked part. Therefore, when brushing only in either the length direction or the width direction, it is effective to increase the brushing pressure to a certain extent, but when brushing is performed in either the length direction or the width direction, it is effective to increase the brushing pressure to a certain extent, but when brushing is performed in any direction such as the length direction or width direction of the flocked part, or even diagonally, In addition to the problem of not being able to exert sufficient brushing pressure for brushing movements in all directions when brushing, the structure of these toothbrushes has the problem that it is difficult to apply sufficient brushing pressure to the brushing movement in all directions. It is not suitable for scraping out plaque using the corners around the outer periphery of the toothbrush, and if such a scraping operation is intentionally performed, the bristles located at the corners may bend outward during the use process, causing the toothbrush to become damaged at an early stage. There was a problem that it became unusable. The present invention has been made in view of the current situation, and the present inventor has completed the present invention as a result of careful consideration of the position of the hair bundle to be tilted in the hair transplantation part and the direction of the tilt. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention was developed on the premise that the mechanical strength and chemical strength of the toothbrush would not deteriorate. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush that is excellent in removing dental plaque accumulated in the occlusal area, between the teeth, and at the border with the gums, is comfortable to use, and does not cause damage to the gums. in,
The gist of this is to form a flocked part whose length is longer than its width, and whose main part is made up of four rows of flocked hair, and at least all the hairs located on the outer periphery of the hair bundles of the flocked part are formed. The bundle is tilted towards the inside of the approximate center of the flock, and the area formed by the outer periphery of the tip of the flock is set to 55% to 85% of the area formed by the outer periphery of the base of the flock. It is characterized by forming a tip surface of flocked hair with high density in all directions, width direction and diagonal direction. [Function] In a toothbrush with such a configuration, at least all the hair bundles located on the outer periphery of the hair bundles in the hair transplantation part are tilted toward the inside of the approximate center of the hair transplantation part, so that the density of the hair transplantation at the base of the hair transplantation can be reduced. It is possible to increase the flocking density at the tip of the flock without increasing the number of flocks, and it is possible to obtain a high-density tip surface of the flock in all directions including the length direction, width direction, and diagonal direction of the flocked section. Therefore, if a grafted area is formed using fine bristles or soft bristles, and this toothbrush is used for brushing methods that utilize the bristles of the toothbrush, such as the scrubbing method, the Foans method, or the bathing method, the feeling of use may be impaired. High brushing pressure can be obtained without brushing, and the high-density bristles tip surface allows for effective removal of dental plaque, preventing caries and periodontal disease, etc., and the soft bristles provide powerful brushing. There is no risk of damaging the gums when brushing, so brushing can be done with peace of mind. In addition, the hair bundles located on the outer periphery are not simply inclined toward the inner center of the flocked area, but the angle of inclination is set to a specific numerical width (55% to 85%). It is possible to prevent the bristles from spreading during the use process, and when the bristles come into contact with the tooth surface, the bristles do not escape against the tooth surface, allowing maximum brushing pressure to be exerted on the tooth surface. and,
In addition to the rows of bristle bundles located on both sides of the length of the bristle part being tilted inward, the bristle bundles located at the front and rear ends of the bristle part are also slanted inward, so when sliding the toothbrush in the width direction of the handle, Of course, strong brushing pressure can be obtained even when the handle is slid in the length direction or diagonally, and the tooth surface brushing effect of the high-density flocked tip surface removes plaque attached to the tooth surface. In addition to being able to be removed, when the front and rear ends of the bristle implants are positioned on the occlusal part, the back side of the teeth, or even between the teeth, it is also possible to effectively scrape out plaque accumulated in these areas. In addition, in particular, in the toothbrush of the present invention, since the bristle bundles located on the outer periphery are tilted toward the inside of the approximate center of the bristle part, the bristle bundles located on both sides in the width direction at the front and rear ends of the bristle part in the length direction, that is, at the corners The corners are also directed inward toward the center of the flocked portion, and the corners can be used to effectively scrape out the interior of the occlusal portion. Moreover, even when used in this manner, the bristles at the corners do not bend outwards like in conventional toothbrushes, and the toothbrush does not become unusable early as in conventional toothbrushes. [Example] Next, details of the present invention will be explained based on an illustrated example. FIGS. 1 to 3 are explanatory diagrams showing the state of flocking of the bristle bundles of the toothbrush according to the present invention. 1 in the figure is a general flocking table, that is, a flocking table with a flat flocking surface, which is made of acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (AS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-
Styrene copolymer (ABS), polypropylene (PP), cellulose derivatives such as cellulose propionate, nylon, polycarbonate-polyethylene-terephthalate copolymer (PC-PET),
Polycarbonate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (PC-ABS), polymethylpentene, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
Acrylic acid-based polymers such as the following can be used. What is shown as a1 to a9 and b1 to b10 in the figure are tufting holes, and similar tufting holes are also bored on the opposite side across the center line XX. Since the flocked state is symmetrical about the center line XX, only the upper half of the figure will be described in the following explanation. The arrows in each tufting hole indicate the direction of inclination of the hair bundle to be planted in each tufting hole. It is inclined in the same direction as the arrow from the back toward the surface opening. The material of the hair bundle to be implanted in this implantation hole is nylon, polyethylene, etc.
Polyester such as terephthalate (PET), animal hair such as pig hair, polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylidene chloride are used, and the length should be 7 mm to 14 mm for adults and 5 mm to 12 mm for children. I found something favorable. What is shown in FIG. 1 is all the hair bundles b1, a1 to a9, b1 located on the outer periphery among the hair bundles in the hair transplantation part.
0 toward the center P of the flocking table 1, that is, the center of the flocking part, while gradually changing the inclination angle of each, and the hair bundles b1, a1 to a9, on the outer periphery.
This is a case where the inner hair bundles b2 to b9 surrounded by b10 are also planted toward the center P while gradually changing their respective inclination angles. The inventor is the fourth
Toothbrush stand with the shape shown in the figure, i.e. total length A = 170
mm, length of the flocking table B = 32mm, length of the flocking table and neck C = 62mm, width of the flocking table D = 12mm, width of the handle E
= 13 mm, width of neck F = 6 mm, thickness of bristle bed and neck G = 5 mm, and thickness of handle H = 6 mm.The toothbrush stand was used as the test toothbrush stand. ), the hair length was 11 mm.
A test toothbrush was prepared by cutting the hair. and,
Using this toothbrush, the inclination angle is set appropriately to change the area formed by the outer periphery of the tip of the grafted hair (hereinafter referred to as the tip area of the grafted hair), and the brushing pressure is used as a criterion for determining the quality of this area and the plaque removal effect. We measured the relationship between The area formed by the outer periphery of the hair transplant base (hereinafter referred to as the hair transplant base area) was 2.34 cm ² . The test method was to place the toothbrush bristle tip on pressure-sensitive paper (Fujifilm Prescale ultra-low pressure type), apply a load of 700g to the back of the bristle table for 30 seconds, and then remove the toothbrush and examine the pressure-sensitive paper. The area of the color point will be measured using an image processing device under constant lighting conditions, and the measurement range will be 8 mm x
The target area was an 8 mm square. Table 1 shows the results. The area ratio (%) in the table represents the ratio of the area of the tip of the flock to the area of the base of the flock, and the relative value of the brushing pressure is calculated using a toothbrush with an area ratio of 100%,
That is, it represents a relative value when the brushing pressure of a toothbrush in which all the bristle bundles are planted in a direction perpendicular to the bristle bed is 1. As the test results show, the relative value of brushing pressure shows a maximum value at an area ratio of 70%, and at 60% before and after that.
It has been found that the brushing pressure is relatively high within the range of ~80%, and when the area ratio exceeds this range and is 85% or more, the brushing pressure is low because the density of the flocked tips is low. % or less, the inclination angle of the hair bundle is too large, so the tips of the bristles that come into contact with the tooth surface tend to escape, and it has been found that the brushing pressure acting on the tips of the bristles tends to decrease. Therefore, it has been found that it is preferable to set the inclination angle of the hair bundle so that the area of the tip of the hair transplant is within the range of 55% to 85% of the area of the base of the hair transplant. Next, the present inventor conducted the following tests in order to identify a more specific aspect of the flocked portion that has an excellent plaque removal effect. In this test, the shape of the tuft holes, the material, thickness, and length of the hair were all the same as in the previous test, and the area ratio was within the range of 70% ± 5% that showed the highest brushing pressure in the previous test. This bristle part was set to approximately the same shape as the toothbrush stand used in the previous test, with total length A = 175 mm, length B = 40 mm, and length C of the bristle part and neck part = 70 mm. A test toothbrush was constructed by attaching it to a toothbrush stand, and the area of the bristle base was changed stepwise in the range of 1.4 cm ² to 3.0 cm ² to measure the plaque removal effect on the area of each bristle base. This study was a 9-week repeated study with 5 subjects, each week being one cycle, and one week was allocated to the test period for one type of toothbrush, and the next week was allocated to the test period for a different toothbrush. Repeating each cycle, nine types of toothbrushes with different bristle base areas were tested. And the test procedure for each week is 1
Completely remove plaque and tartar on day 2, brush with soft bristles to reattach plaque from day 2 to day 4, stop brushing from day 5 to day 6, and stop brushing from day 5 to day 6.
On the second day, a plaque removal test is performed. Plaque and tartar are removed on the first day, and then the plaque is reattached using soft bristles, which eliminates the influence of the presence of tartar on the plaque removal effect and is purely effective in removing plaque. This is to enable the measurement of In addition, in the plaque removal test, first, the amount of plaque adhesion R was measured after brushing with soft bristles was stopped, and then the plaque was removed by brushing using a test toothbrush, and the amount of plaque adhesion S after brushing was measured. Measure. Then, calculate the plaque removal rate (%) using the formula (R-S)/R x 100.
I asked for Table 2 shows the types of toothbrushes used by the five subjects in this test each week, and the numbers in each column indicate the area of the base of the hair transplant (cm ² ). Table 3 shows the results of this test, and shows the plaque removal rate for each subject using each toothbrush and the average value of the plaque removal rate for each toothbrush. This test showed that the plaque removal rate was an extremely excellent value of 95% when the area of the base of the flock was 2.6 cm ² , and that a practically effective plaque removal effect could be obtained in the range of 1.6 cm ² to 2.8 cm ² . It was discovered. Specific inclination angles of the hair bundles satisfying these conditions include, for example, the hair bundles a1, a9, b1, b1 in accordance with the inclination direction of each hair bundle shown by the arrow in FIG.
0 at 6 degrees, hair bundles a2, a8, b2, b9 at 5 degrees, hair bundles a3, a7, b3, b8 at 4 degrees, hair bundles a4, a6,
As an example, the hair bundles b4, b7 and the hair bundles b5, b6 are tilted by 2 degrees, and the hair bundle a5 is tilted by 3 degrees. still,
Although other angles of inclination may be employed, the angle of inclination of the hair bundle located inside the flocked portion must be smaller than the angle of inclination of the hair bundle located on the outer periphery thereof. As described above, in this embodiment, the tufted holes having the above-mentioned inclination angle are formed, and straight hairs are planted in the tufted holes to form the slanted tufted rows. As described above, the toothbrush according to the present invention has an excellent plaque removal effect. For example, when using the tuft holes shown in FIG. It has also been found that the most excellent plaque removal effect can be obtained when the area is within the range of 80% and the area of the base of the flock is 1.6 cm ² to 2.8 cm ² . The above test results are values for the tufted holes shown in Figure 1, but it is assumed that almost similar results can be obtained for other examples, such as the tufted holes shown in Figures 2 and 3. be done. By the way, one of the features of the present invention is that all the hair bundles located on the outer periphery of the flocked section are directed toward the inner side of the center of the flocked section, but this term "approximately inside the center" means that all the hair bundles located on the outer periphery of the flocked section are directed toward the inside of the center of the flocked section. Hair transplant hole a located in
1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7, a
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the direction of inclination of the tufts planted in 8 and a9 is gradually changed to the center P of the tufting table, which is also the center of the tufting section. As shown in FIG. 3, the tufting holes a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6,
Although the hair bundles planted in the tuft holes a1, a2 and a8, a9 located near both ends of a7, a8, and a9 are tilted radially toward the center P, other tuft holes located relatively in the middle are a3, a4, a
The hair bundles planted in areas 5, a6, and a7 include those directed in the direction of the center line XX of the hair planting part. What is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
This is a case in which the hair bundles other than those to be implanted in the implantation holes 9 and b10 are made to stand upright as before. Figure 3 shows a case where the inclination direction of each hair bundle in Figure 1 has been changed, and the inclination direction of the hair bundles planted in the tuft holes a3 to a7 and b3 to b8 is directed toward the center P in stages. Rather, as described above, all of these hair bundles are oriented in the direction of the center line XX as shown. In addition to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 above, if at least all of the hair bundles located on the outer periphery of the hair bundles of the hair transplantation part are inclined toward the inside of the approximate center of the hair transplantation part, Others may be adopted as appropriate. In the toothbrush of the present invention, all the bristle bundles located on the outer periphery of the bristle-planted part whose main part is arranged in four rows are inclined toward the inside of the approximate center of the bristle-planted part, and the outer circumferential area of the bristle-planted tip is smaller than that of the bristle-planted base. Since the inclination angle of each hair bundle is set to be 55% to 85% of the outer circumferential area, the flocking density in both the width direction and the length direction of the flocking part can be made sufficient, resulting in a high It is possible to provide a dense flocked tip surface, and the lengthwise direction of the flocked part,
Strong brushing pressure can be exerted for brushing operations in both the width direction and diagonal direction. If you use a toothbrush with this structure to perform brushing methods using the bristles, such as the scrubbing method, the Fournes method, and the bath method, you can obtain an excellent tooth surface cleaning effect due to the high-density flocked tip surface. It is possible to effectively remove plaque that has adhered to the tooth surface, and by using the front and back edges of the outer periphery of the flocked part, it is also possible to scrape out plaque that has accumulated in the occlusal area, between teeth, and even at the boundary with the gums. It becomes possible. and,
Since the flocking density at the tip of the flock can be increased without increasing the flocking density at the base of the flock, it is possible to perform brushing with an excellent brushing feeling and without any risk of damaging the gums.
In addition, in order to obtain a high-density flocking tip area, it is not necessary to place the flocking holes at the base of the flocking close to each other, so that the mechanical strength of the flocking stand does not deteriorate.
In addition, the toothbrush can be kept clean since it drains water well after use. Moreover, the inclination angle of each hair bundle is not only directed inward to the center of the transplanted part, but also so that the outer circumferential area of the tip of the transplanted hair is 55% to 85% of the outer peripheral area of the base of the transplanted hair. Because it is slanted, it is possible to prevent the bristles from spreading and maintain a high-density flocked tip surface, and to maximize the brushing pressure of the bristles in contact with the tooth surface, making it possible to perform the conventional brushing method. High brushing pressure can be easily achieved even when the brushing pressure is high.
In addition to slanting the rows of bristle bundles located on both sides of the length of the bristle part inward, the bristle bundles located at the front and rear ends of the bristle part are also slanted inward, making it easier to slide the toothbrush in the length direction of the handle. It is possible to obtain strong brushing pressure even when brushing, and when the front and rear ends of the bristles are positioned at the occlusal area, the back side of the teeth, or even between the teeth, plaque accumulated in these areas can be effectively scraped out. be. In addition, in particular, in the toothbrush of the present invention, the bristle bundles planted in the bristle holes a1, a9, b1, b10, which are the corners of the bristle outer periphery, are inclined inward in the approximate direction of the center of the bristle part. It is also possible to use the corners to scrape out plaque that has accumulated deep inside the occlusion or between the teeth, and even when used in this way, the bristles do not bend outward like a conventional toothbrush. Nor.

【table】

【table】

〔Effect of the invention〕

The toothbrush according to the present invention has a bristle part that is longer in the length direction than the width direction, and has a main part made up of four rows of bristles, and at least all the bristles located on the outer periphery of the bristle bundles of the bristle part are formed. Because the bundle is tilted toward the inside of the approximate center of the flocked portion, and the area formed by the outer periphery of the tip of the flocked hair is set to 55% to 85% of the area formed by the outer periphery of the flocked base,
It is possible to increase the flocking density at the tip of the flock without increasing the flocking density at the base of the flock, and excellent brushing pressure can be achieved even when thin or soft hair is used. Moreover, this excellent brushing pressure can be exerted not only in the width direction of the flocked part, but also in the lengthwise direction of the flocked part.
Excellent brushing pressure can always be exerted even if the brushing direction is vertical, horizontal, or even diagonal. If you use a toothbrush with a high-density flocked tip formed in this way to perform a brushing method that utilizes the bristles of the toothbrush, such as the scraping method, Foans method, or bath method, you can Achieves excellent tooth surface cleaning effect, effectively removing plaque attached to the tooth surface, and effectively removing plaque accumulated at the occlusal area, between the teeth, and at the boundary with the gums due to the front and rear ends of the flocked area. It can be removed and prevent cavities and periodontal disease. In addition, in order to obtain such a high-density flocked tip surface, in the toothbrush of the present invention, the flocking holes at the base of the flocking do not need to be placed close to each other, so that the mechanical strength of the flocking stand may deteriorate and drainage after use may be difficult. It will never happen. Moreover, the hair bundles on the outer periphery are not only directed inward from the approximate center of the hair transplant area, but also each hair bundle is tilted so that the outer circumferential area of the tip of the hair transplant is 55% to 85% of the outer peripheral area of the base of the hair transplant. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ends of the hair from spreading during the use process, maintain a high-density implanted end surface, and achieve high brushing pressure. In addition, the rows of bristle bundles located on both sides in the length direction of the flocked section are inclined toward the inside of the approximate center of the flocked section, and the bristle bundles located at the front and rear ends of the flocked section are also inclined toward the inside of the approximate center of the flocked section. Therefore, strong brushing pressure can be obtained even when the toothbrush is slid in the length direction of the handle, and when the front and rear ends of the bristles are positioned at the occlusal part or back side of the teeth, or even between the teeth, these areas It can also effectively scrape out plaque that has accumulated on the teeth. Furthermore, in the toothbrush of the present invention, the tufts of bristles located at the corners of the outer periphery of the bristles are inclined inward toward the approximate center of the bristles. It is possible to effectively remove plaque, and even when used in this way, the bristles at the corners do not bend outwards as they do with conventional toothbrushes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the tufting hole of a toothbrush according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams showing other embodiments of the tufting hole of a toothbrush according to the present invention, and FIG. A and B are explanatory diagrams showing the shape of the toothbrush stand used in the test. 1: Hair transplantation stand, a1 to a9, b1 to b10: Hair transplantation hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Forming a flocked part whose length direction is longer than its width direction and whose main part has four rows of flocked hair, and all the hair bundles located at least on the outer periphery of the hair bundles of the said flocked part are arranged in an abbreviation of the flocked part. The toothbrush is inclined toward the inner side of the center, and the area formed by the outer periphery of the tip of the bristles is set to 55% to 85% of the area formed by the outer periphery of the bristled base.