JPH07222624A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a toothbrush constituted so that various bacteria are hard to adhere to brush filaments. CONSTITUTION:In a toothbrush wherein the center part of each filament is constituted of a high rigidity resin and the sheath part thereof is constituted of a hydrophobic resin, an antibacterial agent is added to the filament and water repellency and oil repellency are imparted to the surface of the filament.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in toothbrushes, and particularly filaments thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, when synthetic resin products are frequently used, and when they are used in fields in which hygiene is required, such as kitchen appliances, contamination of the surface of the synthetic resin by bacteria is a problem. Is becoming. In addition, there are problems such as fungi and mold buildup on the surface of caulking materials used as building materials, which leads to poor hygiene and appearance. As a countermeasure, there is used a method in which an antibacterial composition is mixed into a synthetic resin and the composition is eluted on the surface of the synthetic resin to sterilize the surface of the resin. An organic antibacterial and antifungal material such as thiabendazole is used in order to positively elute the antibacterial and antifungal material in the synthetic resin and obtain a bactericidal and fungicidal effect on the resin surface and its surroundings. In particular, an organic antibacterial material such as hexidine gluconate is applied on the toothbrush filament material by coating on the surface of the toothbrush to prevent the growth of various bacteria such as mutans bacteria on the surface of the toothbrush.

[0003]

The above-mentioned toothbrush filament surface coated with an antibacterial film mainly composed of an organic antibacterial agent such as hexidine gluconate has a strong initial antibacterial effect, but has a long lasting effect. There is a problem in terms. Originally, toothbrushes are consumable items, and long-term sustainability is not a problem, but improvements in antibacterial properties after some use and darkening of toothbrush filament roots are required. That is, although an antibacterial agent alone can be expected to have an effect on antibacterial activity, it is less effective against so-called darkening in which foreign matter such as plaque accumulates at the root of the toothbrush filament. In general, organic antibacterial agents have low heat resistance, and few of them can withstand general processing temperatures. In addition, although the antibacterial effect is strong, the antibacterial spectrum is narrow, and there are few bacteria and viruses. However, as a recent consumer trend, hygiene products such as toothbrushes are required to have not only an antibacterial effect but also an antiviral effect.

Further, since the organic antibacterial and antifungal material has volatility, if it is contained in the synthetic resin, it is contaminated with the surrounding environment of the synthetic resin, and in the drainage which comes into contact with the surface of the synthetic resin. Since it contains antibacterial and antifungal materials, this causes pollution of wastewater environment, and further has a problem that it affects activated sludge during sewage treatment. The present invention is
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush that suppresses the growth of various bacteria on the surface of the resin filament.

[0005]

The toothbrush of the present invention is characterized in that the central portion of the brush filament is made of a highly rigid resin, for example, a polyester resin, and the outer sheath portion is made of a hydrophobic resin, for example, a polypropylene resin. And Further, in the present invention, an antibacterial material is contained inside or on the surface of the outer sheath portion of the brush filament. The outer sheath portion can be formed by a method of kneading the antibacterial material in the resin constituting the outer sheath portion or a method of coating the surface of the outer sheath portion with the antibacterial material.

The antibacterial material used in the present invention is preferably porous particles carrying a silver thiosulfato complex. This can be manufactured as follows. That is, a water-soluble silver salt such as silver acetate is dissolved in water, and Na ₂ SO ₃ .7H ₂ O and Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃ .5H ₂ O or K ₂ SO ₃ and K ₂ S ₂ O _{3 are} added to the solution. One of the combinations is sequentially added to form a silver thiosulfato complex solution, and then a porous particle carrier is added, and the silver thiosulfato complex salt solution is adsorbed on the carrier and dried. Thus, the carrier is loaded with the thiosulfato silver complex to obtain an antibacterial composite. Further, it is preferable to hydrolyze a sol-gel solution composed of an alcohol solution of alkoxysilane on the outer surface of the composite having a carrier carrying a silver thiosulfato complex to form an outer shell coating layer composed of silicon dioxide.

The surface of the toothbrush filament is
It is preferably water repellent and oil repellent. As a method of imparting water repellency and oil repellency, a method of kneading a silicone resin in a resin constituting a filament and imparting water repellency and oil repellency to the surface thereof, and at least one of a fluororesin and a fluorine oil in the resin Is kneaded to impart water repellency and oil repellency to the surface.

[0008]

As described above, in the toothbrush of the present invention, the outer sheath portion of the brush filament is made of the hydrophobic resin,
It becomes difficult for bacteria to adhere to the toothbrush filament, and the effect of cleaning the surface when the toothbrush is used again is exhibited. Furthermore, if the toothbrush is used for a while, darkening is likely to occur at the root of the filament-implanted root,
There is also an action to prevent it. Further, if the entire filament is made of a hydrophobic resin, for example, polypropylene resin, there is an inconvenience that the "stiffness" of the filament becomes soft. However, in the present invention, the central portion of the filament is made of highly rigid resin, for example, polyester resin. As a result, it also has the effect of strengthening the "strain" of the filament.

Further, by including an antibacterial material in the outer sheath portion, antibacterial property can be imparted. In particular, in the case of an antibacterial material mainly containing a thiosulfato silver complex, an antibacterial and antiviral toothbrush showing a stable antibacterial and antiviral effect which does not form water-insoluble silver chloride even when coexisting with chloride ion can be obtained. Further, it is possible to provide an antibacterial / antiviral toothbrush that is unlikely to cause environmental pollution even when it is eluted from the resin. From this, it is possible to provide a toothbrush that can inactivate or suppress the growth of mutans bacteria, viruses such as influenza, and other bacteria that adhere to the toothbrush filaments and remain even after washing with water and proliferate.

[0010]

EXAMPLES A preferred method for producing the antibacterial material used in the present invention will be described below. First, the raw material CH ₃ COOAg
Has a low solubility, so 7.7 g / l, which is close to the solubility,
It dissolves in pure water at a temperature of 0 ° C or lower. This dissolution process is
Since CH ₃ COOAg decomposes when heated to a temperature higher than 0 ° C., it is preferably in the range of 60 ° C. or lower and room temperature. Next, in the thiosulfato complex salt forming step, S ₂ O ₃ —Ag—S ₂ O _{3 is formed.}
Corresponding to the stoichiometric amount of Na ₂ so that the complex of
SO ₃ .7H ₂ O: CH ₃ COOAg = 4.3 g: 1 g of Na ₂ SO ₃ .7H ₂ O was first added and sufficiently dissolved, and then Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃ .5H ₂ O: CH ₃ COOAg =
Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃ .5H ₂ O was added and dissolved at a ratio of 2.8 g: 1 g. The melting step at this time is preferably in the temperature range of 40 ° C. to room temperature. Here Na ₂ SO ₃ · 7H ₂ O and Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃
・ A combination of 5H ₂ O was used, but K ₂ S was used instead.
It is also possible to use a combination of O ₃ and K ₂ S ₂ O ₃ . Next, in the adsorption step, using a porous particle carrier such as silica gel having a desired particle size, preferably 1 to 10 μm, the carrier is sufficiently impregnated with the thiosulfato silver complex to a desired concentration. The temperature of this step is preferably 40 ° C to room temperature. Next, in the drying step, the pressure is atmospheric pressure or 10 ^-2 Tor to prevent decomposition of the silver thiosulfato complex.
It is preferable that the temperature r is 40 to 120 ° C. next,
An outer shell coating layer is formed on the surface of a carrier carrying a silver thiosulfato complex by the sol-gel method. This coating layer has the role of adjusting the duration of the therapeutic effect of the thiosulfato silver complex when used as an antibacterial agent or virus inhibitor, and changes the rapid-acting effect to a sustained-release function to improve the sustainability of the therapeutic effect. Improve.

The alkoxysilane and alcohol used herein preferably have an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Here, the standard formulation of tetraethoxysilane (CH
₃ CH ₂ O) ₄ Si and ethyl alcohol are used. The silica gel particles supporting the silver thiosulfato silver complex were added at a ratio of 1 g to a mixture of 1 ml of each, and after mixing well, about 0.2 ml of pure water was added dropwise to hydrolyze tetraethoxysilane. Forming a coating layer of silicon dioxide. The temperature in this step is from room temperature to 4
0 ° C is preferred. Next, in the drying process, the pressure is 760 mmHg to 10 ^-2 so that the thiosulfato silver complex is not decomposed.
Torr and temperature are preferably 120 ° C to 40 ° C. The antibacterial material is obtained as described above. Specific examples of the present invention will be described below.

[Example 1] A core material having a diameter of about 0.12 m
m of polyester resin and polypropylene resin as sheath material are used to form a composite filament having a final diameter of about 0.2 mm. On the other hand, the silicone gum component is added to the polyacetal resin sold under the name of DURACON.
A water- and oil-repellent material is prepared by kneading by weight (hereinafter, simply represented by%). A toothbrush handle is formed by using a resin compound in which 1% of the water-repellent and oil-repellent material is kneaded in a base material acetal resin. Toothbrush is constructed by implanting the filaments in the handle.

Example 2 A resin compound is manufactured by kneading 1% of the antibacterial material prepared by the above manufacturing method into polypropylene resin. A polyester resin having a diameter of 0.12 mm is used as a core material, and the polypropylene resin is used as a sheath material, to form a composite filament having a final diameter of about 0.2 mm. On the other hand, 5% of the same water- and oil-repellent material as in Example 1 obtained by kneading the silicone gum component with the polyacetal resin.
A toothbrush handle is formed using a resin compound in which the base material polyacetal resin is kneaded with 1% of the antibacterial material prepared by the above manufacturing method. The filament is transplanted to the handle to form a toothbrush.

[Example 3] A resin compound is manufactured by kneading 1% of the antibacterial material prepared by the above-mentioned method into a base polypropylene resin. Diameter of about 0.12mm as core material
The nylon resin and the polypropylene resin as a sheath material are used to form a composite filler having a final diameter of about 0.26 mm. On the other hand, 5% of water- and oil-repellent material consisting of a mixture of tetrafluoroethylene resin powder and fluorine oil
And a resin compound prepared by kneading 1% of the antibacterial material prepared by the above-mentioned method in a base material polyacetal resin to form a toothbrush handle. The above filament is planted on the handle of this toothbrush to form a toothbrush.

Next, the principle of operation of the toothbrush of the present invention will be described. After using the toothbrush, some moisture and bacteria such as mutans teeth and plaque remain on the filament of the toothbrush. Moisture containing plaque, if the filament is hydrophilic in nature, collects at the root of the filament-implanted filament due to the capillary phenomenon and causes darkening. However, in the toothbrush of the present invention, the outer sheath portion of the filament is made of a hydrophobic resin, and more preferably by kneading a fluororesin or the like to impart water and oil repellency, thereby making it difficult to exhibit the capillary phenomenon. Prevents darkening. further,
By kneading the filament with an antibacterial material, it exerts an antibacterial effect against various bacteria adhering to the surface and keeps the surface clean.

FIG. 1 shows Streptococcus mutans (Streptoccus mutans) attached to the surface of the filament portion of a toothbrush.
occus mutans) showing the growth rate comparison of microorganisms.
The vertical axis represents the amount of microorganisms, and the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time from the time of washing with water after using the toothbrush. A is a comparative example in which the filament is composed of only a polyester resin, and B is an example 2. As mentioned above, the toothbrush of the present invention can always be kept clean.

Next, as a test for confirming the antiviral action of the toothbrush of Example 3, the following experiment was conducted. Influenza viruses A and B are used as viruses. The volume ratio of the extract solution obtained by shaking 1 g of the outer sheath-constituting resin of the above toothbrush and 30 ml of phosphate buffer solution for 30 minutes and each virus solution was 1:
The mixture was mixed at a ratio of 1 and 30 minutes later, infected with canine kidney-derived MDCK cells for 30 minutes, and 24 hours later, the infected cells were stained with rabbit serum and rabbit immunoglobulin G antibodies against each virus and PAP for evaluation. . As a result, Example 3
It was confirmed that the toothbrush of the above has an antiviral effect. On the other hand, as a control product, an aqueous solution of silver acetate as a starting material was prepared, and a similar experiment was carried out on a product obtained by adsorbing and supporting this on silica gel and kneading it as a component of a toothbrush filament as an antibacterial material. It turned out that it has no deterrent effect.

[0018]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the present invention, the central portion of the filament is made of a resin having high rigidity, and the outer sheath portion is made of a hydrophobic resin to strengthen the strain of the filament,
It is possible to substantially exert the strength of the brush, suppress the capillary phenomenon due to the hydrophobicity of the surface, and reduce the foreign matters accumulated at the root portion of the hair transplant. In addition, the hydrophobicity of the surface of the filament makes it difficult for bacteria to adhere to the filament, and exhibits the effect of cleaning the surface when the toothbrush is used again. Further, it also has an effect of suppressing the darkening of the root of the filament-implanted root.

By incorporating an antibacterial material into the filament, a stable antibacterial and antiviral effect is exhibited on the filament surface. From this, it is possible to provide a toothbrush capable of inactivating or suppressing the growth of mutans bacteria, viruses such as influenza, and other bacteria that adhere to the toothbrush filaments and remain even after washing with water and proliferate. Furthermore, by imparting water repellency and oil repellency to the surface of the filament, it is possible to further improve the effect of preventing adhesion of various bacteria and the effect of keeping the surface clean.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a comparison of the growth rate of microorganisms on the surfaces of toothbrushes of Examples of the present invention and Comparative Examples.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A toothbrush characterized in that a central portion of a brush filament is made of a resin having high rigidity and an outer sheath portion is made of a hydrophobic resin. 2. A toothbrush in which the central portion of the brush filament is made of polyester resin and the outer sheath portion is made of polypropylene resin. 3. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the outer sheath portion of the brush filament contains an antibacterial material inside or on the surface thereof. 4. The toothbrush according to claim 3, wherein the antibacterial material is porous particles carrying a silver thiosulfato complex. 5. The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a silicone resin, a fluorine resin or a fluorine oil is kneaded in the resin forming the outer sheath of the filament to impart water repellency and oil repellency to the filament surface. .