JPH10225324A - Tooth brush - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a tooth brush to clean periodontal pockets, tooth planes, etc., simultaneously, by planting bristles with a sharply tapered tip end angle in a same length with bristles with a not sharply tapered tip end angle or longer by a prescribed length in a tooth brush to which folded monofilament with both ends differently tapered is planted. SOLUTION: Both ends of monofilament 1 used for a brush is tapered to make one end part be a sharply pointed taper part A and the other end part be a thicker than the taper part A and not sharply pointed taper part B. The monofilament 1 is folded to make the tip end of the thin tapered part A to be longer than the thick tapered part B by a prescribed difference Δh. At that time, the tapered plane diameter at 1mm from the tip end of the sharply tapered side A is made 30-100μm, and that of the not sharply tapered side B 100-170μm, and the length difference between both tip ends is made within 2.5mm.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toothbrush capable of simultaneously and effectively cleaning both a deeply depressed portion such as an interdental portion and a periodontal pocket and a non-deeply depressed portion therearound.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to enhance the cleaning effect during brushing, various toothbrushes in which the tip of a planted monofilament is tapered have been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-1).
41923). The toothbrush whose both ends of the monofilament are tapered to be sharpened can clean the interstices, periodontal pockets, and the like where the tips of the conventional toothbrush cannot reach, such as interdental portions and periodontal pockets.

A toothbrush has also been proposed in which a sharp brush and a blunt brush are used, and the sharp brush is planted by protruding the brush so that the bristle length is longer than that of the non-sharp brush (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163873). And Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-10491).
If the lengths of the sharp and unsharp brushes are changed in this way, the sharp brush will penetrate into deeply depressed portions such as interdental portions and periodontal pockets, while the non-sharp brush will be surrounded by Since it hits the gums and tooth surfaces, the cleaning effect during brushing can be enhanced.

[0004]

However, in the case of the conventional toothbrush in which the tip of the monofilament is tapered, the tip of the tip is sharpened, so that the tip of the bristle is weakened, and the tip of the bristle is bent and bent so as to contact the side. Therefore, the hair tips are less likely to act on non-dented parts such as the gums and the tooth surface, and the cleaning power of these parts tends to be insufficient.

Further, in the case of a conventional toothbrush using a sharp brush and a non-sharp brush, the non-sharp brush tip is cut off with a thick bristle, so that the corner hits the gingiva and is damaged. .

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional toothbrush, and includes a deeply depressed portion such as an interdental portion and a periodontal pocket, and a depressed portion such as a gum portion and a tooth surface portion around the portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush that can clean a portion that does not exist at the same time and has a soft tooth contact and does not damage the gum.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a toothbrush in which a monofilament having both ends tapered is bent and planted. Of different monofilaments is bent at an intermediate appropriate position so that the tip on the side with a sharp taper angle is the same as the tip on the side without sharpness or longer by a predetermined length.

In this case, in this case, the diameter of the tapered surface at a position of 1 mm from the tip on the sharp side of the taper angle is 30 to 30 mm.
100 μm, 1 mm from the tip of the non-sharp side of the taper angle
It is desirable that the diameter of the tapered surface at the mm position be 100 to 170 μm and the difference between the length of the tip on the sharp side and the tip on the non-sharp side of the taper angle be within 2.5 mm.

[0009]

The toothbrush of the present invention uses a monofilament having different taper angles at both ends, and is provided at an appropriate intermediate position such that the tip of the sharp taper angle is equal to or longer than the tip of the non-sharp side by a predetermined length. Folded and planted.
For this reason, the bristle tip on the side with a sharp taper angle can easily penetrate deep into the dent portion such as the interdental portion and the periodontal pocket, and the inside of the dent portion such as the interdental portion and the periodontal pocket can be reliably cleaned.

On the other hand, the bristles on the side where the taper angle is not sharp are:
Since the tip is strong, it does not bend easily and bend, so it works directly around the entrance of the dent such as the interdental space and periodontal pocket, as well as on the gums and tooth surfaces to improve the cleaning effect. Demonstrate. Moreover, the non-sharp bristles are tapered without leaving the filament end face cut as in the past, so that the tooth contact is soft and the stimulation of the gingiva by the bristles is also good. In addition, the usability can be significantly improved.

According to a use test, when the difference between the length of the tapered portion on the sharp side and the tip of the tapered portion on the non-sharp side exceeds 2.5 mm, the tip of the tapered portion on the non-sharp side is used. Cannot reach a shallow portion around a depression such as an interdental portion or a periodontal pocket or the vicinity of an entrance, so that a sufficient cleaning effect cannot be exhibited. Further, the diameter of the tapered surface at a position 1 mm from the tip on the sharp side of the taper angle is 30 to 100 μm.
If the diameter of the tapered surface at 1 mm from the tip of the non-sharp side of the tapered angle deviates from 100 to 170 μm, the stiffness of the bristle tip becomes too weak or too strong. The hit feeling gets worse.

Accordingly, the diameter of the tapered surface at a position 1 mm from the tip on the sharp side of the taper angle is 30 to 100 μm,
The diameter of the tapered surface at a position 1 mm from the tip of the unsharp side of the taper angle is 100 to 170 μm, and the difference in length between the tip of the sharp-pointed side and the tip of the unsharp side is 2.5.
mm. With such a size range, a toothbrush with the highest cleaning effect and easy to use can be obtained.

Further, as long as the difference between the length of the tip on the sharp side and the tip on the non-sharp side of the taper angle is within 2.5 mm, the depth of the recessed portion such as the interdental portion or the periodontal pocket is reduced. If different hair lengths are prepared according to the difference, the brushing can be performed using an optimum toothbrush suitable for each individual, and the cleaning effect can be further improved.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a method of implanting a monofilament in a toothbrush of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged side view of a monofilament used in the toothbrush of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a toothbrush of the present invention constituted by using the monofilament of FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the head section of FIG.

In the toothbrush according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the left and right ends of the monofilament 1 used as the brush are tapered to form a tapered portion. The portion (the left side in FIG. 2) is sharp and sharply tapered (hereinafter referred to as a “narrow taper”).
A, and the other end (right side in FIG. 2) is the tapered portion A.
The taper portion is thicker and less sharp (hereinafter, referred to as “thick taper portion”) B. Then, the monofilament 1 having different taper angles at both ends is placed at an appropriate position in the center so that the tip of the thin taper portion A is longer than the tip of the thick taper portion B by a predetermined difference Δh as shown in FIG. Fold, head part 2 of the toothbrush as shown in FIG.
And fixed using a clasp 3 (see FIG. 1).

Specifically, the monofilament 1 shown in FIG. 2 has a diameter R = 0.2 of the non-tapered portion CL constituting the central portion.
mm and a total length L = 30 mm. The monofilament 1 is made of a filament made of a conventionally known polyester resin, and both ends of the monofilament 1 are subjected to chemical treatment under different processing conditions to form tapered portions A and B having different taper angles. In the case of this example, the thin tapered portion A is formed to have a tapered portion length A _L ≒ 10 mm, a tapered surface diameter r _A １60 μm at a position 1 mm from the tip of the bristle tip, and a thick tapered portion B Taper length B _L ｍｍ5mm, 1mm from tip
The diameter of the tapered surface at the position is r _B ≒ 120 μm.

[0017] Incidentally, the tapered portion A, the thickness and length of B, for the thin tapered portion A, to be easy to deep penetration of the gingival sulcus or narrow interdental of 1mm from Kesaki tip thickness r _A = 30-100 μm, length A _L of the tapered portion = 7-1
0 mm, also for thicker tapered portion B, smooth tooth surface, so that the bristles act on the inlet and shallow, such as the gingival sulcus or narrow interdental tapered surface radius r _b of 1mm position from Kesaki tip = 100-170 μm, length B _{L of} taper portion = 5
A range of ８8 mm is appropriate. Also, the diameter R of the non-tapered portion CL constituting the central portion of the monofilament 1
Depends on the user's individual differences, usability, feeling of use, etc.
It is preferable to use one having a range of 15 to 0.25 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.15 mm, the waist is too weak, and if it exceeds 0.25 mm, the tip of the tapered portion is too hard, and it is not preferable because the gum is easily damaged.

[0018] In flocking to the head portion 2 of the monofilament 1, as shown in FIG. 3, 2 mm longer than the brush length B _h brush length A _h of the thin tapered portion A side is thick taper portion B side Thus, the non-tapered portion CL is bent and locked by the clasp 3, so that the brush tip of the thin tapered portion A enters the concave portion prior to the brush tip of the thick tapered portion B. However, originally, the bristle tip on the thin taper portion A side easily penetrates into the concave portion narrower than the bristle tip on the thick taper portion B side, so the difference in the brush length between the two is smaller than the above-mentioned value,
Or it may be the same. Incidentally, brush length A _h and B _h
If the difference Δh between the two exceeds 2.5 mm, the shorter brush cannot work. Therefore, it is desirable that the maximum value of the difference Δh between the two brush lengths does not exceed 2.5 mm.

In the toothbrush having the above-described structure, the brush tip of the thin tapered portion having a long bristle enters a deeply depressed portion such as an interdental portion or a periodontal pocket, while the brush having a thick tapered portion having a short bristle tip. Since the tip of the brush hits the surrounding gums, teeth and the like, it is possible to simultaneously and effectively clean both parts. In addition, since the brush tip of the thick tapered portion is also tapered to a predetermined taper angle, the tooth contact is soft and the gum is not damaged.

[Evaluation Test of Toothbrush of the Present Invention] The results of an evaluation test of the cleaning power and the feeling of use (tooth contact) of the toothbrush of the present invention are shown below. (1) Toothbrush used for test Table 1 shows the types of toothbrush used for the test. In Table 1,
Are toothbrushes of the present invention, and other toothbrushes are comparative products.

[0021]

[Table 1]

FIG. 4 shows the shapes of the monofilaments of each of the toothbrushes in Table 1 and their flocking conditions. 4 in FIG. 4 correspond to the toothbrushes in Table 1 described above, and the tip of the thin tapered portion A is longer than the tip of the thick tapered portion B (the product of the present invention). Tapered part A
And the thicker tapered portion B have the same length (the present invention), the thinner tapered portion A has a shorter tip than the thicker tapered portion B, and both ends have thinner tapered ends. A portion having the same hair tip, a thick taper portion B at both ends and the same length of the hair tip, a thin taper portion A at both ends, and a The one with a different length, the one with both ends made into a thick tapered part B and the length of both ends changed, and the one with both ends cut off, then the usual tip rounding to make it the same length It is.

The diameter R of the non-tapered portion of the monofilament used in each of the test toothbrushes was R = 0.2 m.
m. The toothbrush head has a hole diameter of 1.6.
In this example, 4 rows × 8 columns = 32 holes are formed, and a monofilament hair bundle is planted in the flocking hole in a state as shown in FIG.

(2) Evaluation of cleaning power The results of an evaluation test of the cleaning power performed on the above-mentioned eight test toothbrushes by using a model of the dent of the tooth surface and the gingival margin are shown. (3) Gingival margin model used in the test As shown in FIG. 5, an acrylic plate (about 5 mm in thickness and 40 in width)
mm, height 20 mm), depth 3 mm, separation width 0.5 m
A gingival model 62 is processed so as to form a tapered groove 61 of m. In addition, an acrylic plate (about 5m thick)
m, width 40 mm, height 30 mm) was used as a tooth model 63, and the tooth model 63 and the gingival model 62 were bonded together with an adhesive to obtain a gingival margin model. In addition, from a position 2 mm above the gingival margin upper surface 64, 3 m from the gingival margin upper surface 64
A scale for measurement was provided on the tooth surface 66 up to the position of the gingival margin groove bottom 65 m below.

(4) The plaque model and the brushing occlude (manufactured by Pascal) used for the cleaning power evaluation are used as the plaque model, and the gingival margin is measured from the position 2 mm above the gingival margin upper surface 64 of the gingival margin model in FIG. The occlude was spray-colored on the surface of the tooth surface 66 up to the position of the gingival margin groove bottom 65 3 mm below the upper surface 64. Then, using each of the test toothbrushes shown in Table 1 above, brushing the occluded application surface of the gingival margin model of FIG. 5 with a stroke width of 10 mm and 10 strokes while checking with a strain gauge so that the brushing pressure becomes 300 g. did.

(5) Evaluation criteria for cleaning power The cleaning power was evaluated by measuring the area from which occluded was removed in the range of the stroke width (10 mm) and according to the following evaluation criteria according to the removed area. ：: Test toothbrush that could remove 70% or more of plaque △: Test toothbrush that could remove plaque from 40 to 69% ×: Test toothbrush that could remove plaque less than 40%

(6) Result of Evaluation of Cleaning Power The tooth surface 66 in a range of 0 to 2 mm above the gingival margin upper surface 64, the tooth surface 66 in a range of 0 to 1.5 mm below,
When the evaluation was made in three areas of the tooth surface 66 ranging from 1.5 to 3 mm below, the results shown in Table 2 were obtained.

[0028]

[Table 2]

(7) Evaluation of Feeling of Use (Tooth Contact) Fifteen test subjects were used for a total of 16 days while sequentially changing each test toothbrush every two days. About irritation (pain)
The presence or absence of was examined. The brushing method was performed by a method usually used by the subject.

(8) Evaluation criteria of feeling of use…: Number of stimuli: 0/15 △: Number of stimuli: 1 to 5/15 ×: Number of stimuli: 6 or more / Out of 15

(9) Evaluation result of usability The evaluation results of usability are shown in Table 3. In the toothbrush of the present invention, no irritation (pain) to the gum was observed.

[0032]

[Table 3]

Looking at the evaluation results of the cleaning power and the irritation (pain), the toothbrush of the present invention in which the hair tip of the thin tapered portion A is longer than the hair tip of the thick tapered portion B, and the thin tapered portion It was confirmed that the toothbrush of the present invention in which the hair tips of A and the thick tapered portion B had the same length had excellent cleaning power and tooth contact. In addition, the toothbrush in which the tip of the thin tapered portion A is shorter than the tip of the thick tapered portion B, and the toothbrush in which both ends are made thicker and the length of both tips is changed, have poor tooth contact. (×), and both ends have a thick tapered portion B
Further, irritation (pain) was also observed in toothbrushes having the same length of hair tips (△), indicating that these toothbrushes were not preferable in terms of usability.

[0034]

As described above, according to the toothbrush according to the first aspect, the taper angles at both ends of the monofilament are made different, and the monofilaments having different taper angles at both ends are sharpened at the tip end on the side where the taper angle is sharp. Folded and implanted at the appropriate position in the middle so as to be the same as or longer than the tip on the side that is not, so that deeply depressed parts such as interdental parts and periodontal pockets and surrounding gums and tooth surface parts It is possible to clean a non-dented portion at the same time and to obtain a toothbrush that has a soft tooth contact and does not damage the gum.

According to the toothbrush of the second aspect, the tapered surface diameter at a position of 1 mm from the tip of the sharp taper angle side is 30 to 100 μm, and the tapered surface diameter at a position of 1 mm from the tip of the unsharp side with the taper angle is reduced. Since the difference between the length of the tip on the sharp side and the tip on the non-sharp side of the taper angle is set to within 2.5 mm in addition to 100 to 170 μm, it is possible to obtain a toothbrush with the best cleaning effect and tooth contact. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for implanting a monofilament in a toothbrush of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged side view of a monofilament used in the toothbrush of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a head portion of one embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention configured using the monofilament of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the shape of both ends of a monofilament of each toothbrush used in the evaluation test and the state of flocking.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal side view of a gingival margin model used in an evaluation test.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Monofilament 2 Toothbrush head part 3 Clasp A End on the side where taper angle is sharp (thin taper part) B End on the side where taper angle is not sharp (thick taper part)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A toothbrush in which a monofilament whose both ends are tapered is bent and planted by bending the monofilament, the taper angles of both ends of the monofilament are varied, and the monofilaments having different taper angles of both ends are not sharpened at the tip of the side having a sharp taper angle. A toothbrush characterized by being bent and planted at an intermediate appropriate position so as to be the same as or longer by a predetermined length than the tip on the side. 2. One meter from the tip on the sharp side of the taper angle.
The diameter of the tapered surface at the m position is 30 to 100 μm, the diameter of the tapered surface at a position 1 mm from the distal end of the unsharp taper angle is 100 to 170 μm, and the distal end of the tapered angle and the distal end of the unsharp side. 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the difference in length is within 2.5 mm.