NZ335854A

NZ335854A - Toothbrush with angled tufts and/or different types of tufts with differing cross-sectional areas

Info

Publication number: NZ335854A
Application number: NZ335854A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Donna Beals; Maisie Wong-Paredes; Thomas Craig Masterman; Michael Roberts; Bradley Castillo
Original assignee: Gillette Canada
Priority date: 1997-11-12
Filing date: 1998-11-06
Publication date: 2001-06-29
Also published as: CA2271852A1; EP0955837B1; EP0955837A1; ATE233060T1; CN1241123A; HUP0004254A3; IL129913A0; JP2008068109A; AU742959B2; GB9911198D0; DE19881632T1; CZ172999A3; DE69811634T3; EP1240847A3; AR048240A2; ID21723A; ES2192797T3; DE29823799U1; IL129913A; DE69811634T2

Abstract

A toothbrush (10) having a handle (12) and a plurality of tufts of bristles (26) secured to the head (14). In one embodiment one of the tufts is secured to the head (14) at a location such that no other tuft is secured to the head at a location that is more distal from the handle (12) than the location where the one tuft is secured to the head (14). The one tuft is angled by about 81 degrees or less relative to an imaginary line which is tangent to a co-planar with a surface of the head through which the one tuft secured to the head (14). The one tuft is tilted away from the handle (12) towards a direction along which the head (14) extends from the handle (12). Various other embodiments are disclosed with the common features being at least two longitudinal rows of tufts tilting in opposite longitudinal directions.

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> f WO 99/23910 PCT/US98/23780 TOOTHBRUSH The invention relates generally to the field of oral care, and in particular to toothbrushes. More particularly, the invention relates to a toothbrushes with a three-dimensional bristle profile to provide improved cleaning of interproximal and gingival 5 marginal regions of teeth. Toothbrushing and flossing are fundamental steps in achieving good oral hygiene. The practice of flossing, unfortunately, has not met with widespread acceptance among the general populace even though it is acknowledged by the general populace that flossing is something that should be completed as part of good oral 10 hygiene, ^ Furthermore,, even geopi^wljo oftentimes do not perform adequate flossing-in hard to reach areas of the mouth. Unfortunately; while mostLcqmmerciaiiy. available toothbrushes:i}l?an the outer buccal face of teeth-adequately, they fail .to provide improved cleaning o£"plaque and debris from the gingival margin, inter-proximal areas, lingual surfaces* and other hard, to reach areas Of the . mouth. 15 One reason that such toothbrushes do not adequately clean the rear-mpst molars (e.g. wisdom teeth or second molars) is that the. one ormore tufts secured to the toothbrush head at a location most distal from the toothbrush handle are not angled towards a direction along which the head extends from the handle. As such, these-'ftifts. cannot extend far enough past the end of the head of the toothbrush to sufficiently 20 clean the molar teeth in the back of the mouth. Additionally, in those brushes having tufts of bristles which angle towards the handle and other, tufts which angle away from the handle, all of such tufts are essentially itlre's^ihe .left'gth and'have the s^ecross-sectidtt:' Consequently, while these angled tufts ^ay clean one part of the teeth in a satisfactory" manner, other parts 25 of the teeth will not 'be cleaned sufficiently due to the -homogeneous length, spacing and cross-section of the tufts.". , .... ■ .. . " Further, prior art toothbrushes disclose tufts of bristles having'at most three different types of cross-sections. However, there are more than three parts, of the teeth which need to be cleaned by a brush (e.g. the outer buccal face, gingival 30 margin, interproximal areas, lingual surfaces and rearward most molars). As such, prior art brushes do not provide tufts of sufficiently varied cross-section specifically designed to clean all areas of the teeth. Printed from Mimosa 07/24/1999 11:16:06 page -3- NOW AMENDED v< The present invention is directed to overcoming one or i™6re of the problems set forth above or at least to providing the public with a usfeful choice. A first aspect of the invention provides a toothbrush comprising: a handle; a head extending from the handle; and a plurality of tufts of bristles secured td the head, orfe of the tufts being secured to the head at a location such that no other tuft is se/ured to the Mead at a location which is more distal from the handle than the location where the one mft is secured to the head, the one tuft being angled by about 81 degrees or logs relative to/an imaginary line which is tangent to or co-planar with a surface of the tyBad through which the one tuft is secured to the head, the one tuft being tilted away from themandle towa/ds a direction along which the head extends from the handle, a second one of the tufts beingAilted towards the handle, a third one of the tufts being angled at an acute angle relative to the imaginary line, the second tuft having a characteristic which differs Iron/the third tuft, the characteristic being selected from the group of characteristics consisting oy length and Gross-section. By angling the one tuft as described in tjfte previous paragraph, the tuft is able to extend past the end of the head of the/oothbrush apd thus clean molars in the back of the mouth in a more sufficient manner. Providing angled tufts Which vary in/their length, cross-section, color, materials or combinations thereof, allows such angled tufts to clean more than one part of the teeth. For example, one type of angled /uft will clean the buccal face of teeth while another type of angled tuft will clean the interproximal areas/of the teeth. According to another aspect of tfie invention, a toothbrush includes a handle, a head extending from the hand/e, and, a multiplicity of tufts of bristles secured to the head. The multiplicity of tufts include tufts witl/at least five different types of cross-sections. By providing tu/ts with at least five types of cross-sections, these tufts can clean all areas of the teeth (e.g./he outer buacal face, gingival margin, interproximal areas, lingual surfaces and rearward mast molars) p/operly. According t(f another aspyect of the invention, there is provided a toothbrush comprising: a handle; a head emending front the handle; and a plurality of tufts oy bristles secured to the head, two of the tufts each being at an acute angle relative to an imaginary line which is tangent to or co-planar with a surface of the head through which the two tyifts are secured to the head, the two tufts having a different characteristic fr®m each other selected from the group of characteristics consisting of, cross-section, material and combmations thereof, a first one of the two tufts being angled in a first direction tow/rds the handle, and a second one of the two tufts being angled in a second INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 0 MAY 2001 received NOW AMENDED direction opposite the first direction. / / According to another aspect of the inventic/n, there is/provided a toothbrush comprising: / / a handle; / / a head extending from the handle; and/ / first and second tufts of bristles secured to the hotid, the tufts each being at an acute angle relative to an imaginary line which ft tangent ta or co-planar with a surface of the head through which the tufts are secured to t hy head, the tufts differing in cross-section, the first tuft being angled in a first direction towards the hanjflle, the second tuft being angled in a second direction opposite the first direction./ / According to another aspect of /he invention, there is provided a toothbrush comprising: / / a head with a frontal free ena and a rearward section; a handle connected to the head; / tufts of bristles arranged ia longitudinal rows on the rearward section of the head, tufts in a first row being tilted in a first directioiv towards the free end of the head, tufts in a second row being tilted towards a second direction opposite the first direction; and a further tuft of bristle/ secured toAhe frontal free end of the head and being tilted towards the first direction, the further tuft having a first greater length, the tufts on the rearward section of the head eitper having tile first greater length or a second smaller length, each longitudinal row including tufts of bristles of the first and second lengths, adjacent tufts in a longitudinal row alternately having tl/e first and second lengths. These and other Aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present AS AMENDED The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above or at least to providing the public with a useful choice. A first aspect of the invention provides a toothbrush comprising: a handle; a head extending from the handle; and a plurality of tufts of bristles secured to the head, one of the tufts being secured to the head at a location such that no other tuft is secured to the head at a location which is more distal from the handle than the location where the one tuft is secured to the head, the one tuft being angled by about 81 degrees or less relative to an imaginary line which is tangent to or co-planar with a surface of the head through which the one tuft is secured to the head, the one tuft being tilted away from the handle towards a direction along which the head extends from the handle, a second one of the tufts being tilted towards the handle, a third one of the tufts being angled at an acute angle relative to the imaginary line, the second tuft and the third tuft differing in cross-section. By angling the one tuft as described in the previous paragraph, the tuft is able to extend past the end of the head of the toothbrush and thus clean molars in the back of the mouth in a more sufficient manner. Providing angled tufts which vary in their length, cross-section, color, materials or combinations thereof, allows such angled tufts to clean more than one part of the teeth. For example, one type of angled tuft will clean the buccal face of teeth while another type of angled tuft will clean the interproximal areas of the teeth. The invention also contemplates a toothbrush including a handle, a head extending from the handle, and a multiplicity of tufts of bristles secured to the head. The multiplicity of tufts include tufts with at least five different types of cross-sections. By providing tufts with at least five types of cross-sections, these tufts can clean all areas of the teeth (e.g. the outer buccal face, gingival margin, interproximal areas, lingual surfaces and rearward most molars) properly. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a toothbrush comprising: a head with a frontal free end and a rearward section; a handle connected to the head; tufts of bristles arranged in longitudinal rows on the rearward section of the head, tufts in a first row being tilted in a first direction towards the free end of the head, tufts in a second row being tilted towards a second direction opposite the first direction; and a further tuft of bristles secured to the frontal free end of the head and being tilted towards the first direction, the further tuft having a first greater length, the tufts on the rearward section of the head either having the first greater length or a second smaller length, each longitudinal row including tufts of bristles of the first and second lengths, adjacent tufts in a longitudinal row alternately having the first and second lengths. These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present INTM FCTiJAi PROPFRTY OFFICE 'L b FF8 2006 tiiiCE I V E D WO 99/23910 PCT/US98/23780 - o - invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush according to the present 5 invention; FIG. 2 is a top view of the toothbrush of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view of the toothbrush of FIG. 1; FIGs. 4 and 5 are partial side views of the head and respective portions of the tufts of the toothbrush of FIG. 1; 10 FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the head of the toothbrush taken along the lines of 6-6 of FIG. 3; and FIG. 7 perspective view of the head and a portion of the handle of the toothbrush of FIG. 1. Beginning with FIGS. 1-3, a toothbrush 10 includes a handle portion 12 15 and a head portion 14 which extends from the handle in a direction D. The overall length of toothbrush 10 is preferably about 7.7 inches while the width of head 14 at its widest portion is preferably about 0.5 inches. A main portion 16 of handle 12, and head 14 are made of a unitary piece of polypropylene. Remaining portions of handle 12, including thumb gripping portion 18, optional Trademark 24 (preferably about .83 20 inches long) and finger gripping portion 20 are preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomer, preferably kraton rubber (a hydrogenated or unhydrogenated oil filled block co-polymer of styrene and butadiene or isoprene having a shore A hardness of between about 5 and about 70). Thumb gripping portion 18 and a portion of finger gripping portion 20 have a series of seventeen raised ribs 22 which aid in the gripability of the 25 handle. Ribs 22 are preferably .05 inches in width. With reference to FIGs. 3-7, a plurality of tufts 26 of bristles are secured to head 14 of the toothbrush. Each tuft is made up of a large number of bristles, and all of the bristles are preferably end-rounded. There are five different types of tufts secured to the head each tuft type having a cross-section which differs in 30 both area and shape to the other tuft types. A first type of tuft, type 28. is made up of bristles formed of poly-butylene-terephthalate (PBT) with an abrasive such as kaolin clay particles mixed Printed from Mimosa 07/24/1999 11:16:06 page -5- WO 99/23910 PCT/US98/23780 - 4 - throughout the PBT. These bristles are between about .005 to .009 inches in diameter, preferably .007 inches in diameter. The length of these bristles, measured from surface 30 of head 14, is about .440 inches. The cross-sectional tufted area for tuft 28 is about 0.0373 square inches, providing a tuft volume measured from the head surface of about 5 .0164 cubic inches (preferably this volume is between about ,015 and .018 cubic inches). There is only one type 28 tuft secured to head 14 and it is located more distal from handle 14 than any other tuft. A second type of tuft, type 32, is made up of nylon Indicators™ type bristles which are formed of 6.12 nylon and colored blue on their external surface. As 10 is well known in the art, the blue coloring on these bristles is slowly worn away as the brush is used over time to indicate the extent to which the toothbrush is worn. These bristles are between about .005 to .009 inches in diameter, preferably .007 inches in diameter. The length of these bristles, measured from surface 30 of head 14, is about .350 inches. The cross-sectional area of each tuft 32 is about 0.0045 square inches. 15 As shown in FIG. 6, type 32 tufts have a round cross-section. There are between 8 and 12 type 32 tufts secured to head 14. A third type of tuft, type 34, is made up of bristles formed of PBT with an abrasive such as kaolin clay particles mixed throughout the PBT. These bristles are between about .005 to .009 inches in diameter, preferably .007 inches in diameter. 20 The length of these bristles, measured from surface 30 of head 14, is about .440 inches. The cross-sectional area of each tuft 34 is about 0.0027 square inches. There are between eight and twelve type 34 tufts secured to head 14. As shown in FIG. 6, type 34 tufts are rectangular in shape with rounded ends. A fourth type of tuft, type 36, is made up of bristles formed of PBT 25 with an abrasive such as kaolin clay particles mixed throughout the PBT. These bristles are between about .005 to .009 inches in diameter, preferably .007 inches in diameter. The length of these bristles, measured from surface 30 of head 14, is about .440 inches. The cross-sectional area of each tuft 36 is about 0.0040 square inches. There are between four and six type 36 tufts secured to head 14. As shown in FIG. 6, 30 type 36 tufts are rectangular in shape with rounded ends, and are wider across the head than type 34 tufts. A fifth and final type of tuft, type 38, is made up of bristles formed of Printed from Mimosa 07/24/1999 11:16:06 page -6- WO 99/23910 PCT/US98/23780 - 5 - PBT with an abrasive such as kaolin clay particles mixed throughout the PBT. These bristles are between about .005 to .009 inches in diameter, preferably .006 inches in diameter. The length of these bristles, measured from surface 30 of head 14, is about .350 inches. The cross-sectional area of each tuft 38 is about 0.0084 square inches. 5 There are between four and six type 38 tufts secured to head 14. As shown in FIG. 6, type 36 tufts are rectangular in shape with rounded ends, and are wider than type 36 tufts. Based on the cross-sectional areas of the various tufts described above, tuft type 28 has a cross-section which is more than four times as large as any other tuft 10 secured to head 14. Although specific materials were described above from which the bristles of each tuft are made, other materials can be used. As such, any of the bristles attached to head 14 could be made from, for example, PBT with or without an abrasive such as kaolin clay, 6.12 nylon with or without an abrasive, or nylon Indicator™ material with or without an abrasive. 15 Additionally, the bristles within a tuft and between tufts can have varying lengths, diameters, cross-sectional shapes, cross-sectional areas, colors and be made of differing materials. As best seen in FIGs. 2, 4 and 5 and seven, all of the tufts on head 14 are angled either towards direction D or towards the direction opposite of direction D 20 by preferably less than about 81 degrees, more preferably between about 69 degrees to about 81 degrees, and most preferably by about 75 degrees, relative to an imaginary straight line 40 which is tangent to surface 30 of head 14. If surface 30 was flat, rather than curved, then line 40 would be co-planar with surface 30. Two outer rows of tufts 42 are angled towards direction D away from handle 12. An inner row of tufts 25 44 are angled opposite direction D towards handle 12 with the exception of large tuft 28 which is tilted towards direction D away from handle 12. Toothbrush 10 can be made by the following process which is generally understood by those skilled in the art. Each of the tufts of bristles are formed by gathering together a desired amount of bristles of a selected material, length and 30 diameter. The tufts are then inserted into apertures in part of a mold of an injection molding machine. An end of the tuft which is or will project into the mold cavity is then melted to join the bristles together in a fused mass or ball at that end of the tuft. Printed from Mimosa 07/24/1999 11:16:06 page -7- WO 99/23910 PCT/US98/23780 - 6 - The mold part bearing the tufts is then joined with another portion of the mold which together define a cavity used to form main portion 16 of the toothbrush. The fused masses of the tufts are located just within the cavity. Polypropylene is then injected into the cavity to form portion 16 of 5 toothbrush 10. The polypropylene is then cooled at which point the partially finished toothbrush is moved to a second injection molding station. The cooled, hardened polypropylene secures the fused masses of the tufts to head 14 of the toothbrush. At the second molding station, the partially finished brush is put into a second mold having cavities to form the thumb gripping portion 18, trademark 24 and finger 10 gripping portion 20. A thermoplastic elastomer is then injected into the mold after which the elastomer is cooled and finished toothbrush 10 is removed from the mold. The toothbrush is then packaged. Printed from Mimosa 07/24/1999 11:16:06 page -8- </div>

Claims

fty if MDED What we claim is: 1. A toothbrush, comprising: a handle; a head extending from the handle; and a plurality of tufts of bristles secured to/the head,/)ne of the tufts being secured to the head at a location such that no other twft is secu/ed to the head at a location which is more distal from the handle than the location where the one tuft is secured to the head, the one tuft being angled by el degree^ror less relative to an imaginary line which is tangent to or co-planar yith a surl/ice of the head through which the one tuft is secured to the head, the afre tuft beifig tilted away from the handle towards a direction along which the haad extendi from the handle, a second one of the tufts being tilted towards the handle, k third ond of the tufts being angled at an acute angle relative to the imaginary line, me seconcytuft having a characteristic which differs from the third tuft, the characteriaric being ^elected from the group of characteristics consisting of length and /ross-sectij 2. The toothbrush of dairy 1, wherein the one tuft is angled by between about 69 to about 81 degrees from ttfe imaginary line. 3. The toothbrush of cl/im 2, wh/rein the one tuft is angled by about 75 degrees from the imaginary line. 4. The toothbrush oyany of claims 1-3, wherein the second and third tufts have different lengths from eacrti other w/en measured from the surface. 5. The toothbruslv of claim /, wherein the second and third tufts differ in length from each other by apout .090 /nches. 6. The toothbrush of any/one of claims 1-3, wherein the second and third tufts have different cross/sections f/om each other. 7. The tootlibrush of ^iaini 6, wherein the cross-sections differ in shape. 8. The toothbrush oy claim 6, wherein the cross-sections differ in area. 9. The toothbrush af any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-sectional areq/of the on^ tuft is at least eight times as large as the cross-sectional rea of the secondf tuft or &tjy one of the other tufts secured to the head. 10. Tfie toothbr/sh of any one of the preceding claims, wherein no other tuft CASE: OB 1£7A INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 0 MAY 2001 RECEIVED NOW AMENDED is secured to the head at a location which is as distal fronythe handVfe as the location where the one tuft is secured to the head. 11. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims^ wherein the one tuft has a tuft volume measured from the head surface of petween qjbout .015 and .018 cubic inches. 12. The toothbrush of any one of claims/l-3, whe/ein one or more of the bristles has a characteristic which is different fron/i the othe^ bristles, the characteristic being selected from the group consisting of length, diamejer, cross-sectional area, cross-sectional shape, color, material and combinations thereoj 13. A toothbrush, comprising: a handle; a head extending from the handle; ar a plurality of tufts of bristles secured to the head, two of the tufts each being at an acute angle relative to an imaginary Une which is tangent to or co-planar with a surface of the head through wlych the t\yo tufts are secured to the head, the two tufts having a different characteristic/from eaafi other selected from the group of characteristics consisting of, cross-section, rrjaterial and combinations thereof, a first one of the two tufts being angled/n a first /iirection towards the handle, and a second one of the two tufts being angled in a seaond direction opposite the first direction. 14. The toothbrush of claim /5, wherein the characteristic is cross-section, and the cross-sections differ i/ area. 15. The toothbruj/h of claim 13, wherein the characteristic is cross-section, and the cross-sections differ in shap 16. The toothbrush of my one of claims 13-15, further comprising: a third tmt, the thjnxl tuft being secured to the head at a location such that no other tuft is sqcured to ine head at a location which is more distal from the handle than the location wher/ the third tuft is secured to the head. 17. The /oothbrusfi of claim 16, wherein the third tuft is angled by between about 69 to about/81 degrees from the imaginary line. 18. Ttte toothbrush of ciaim 17, wherein the third tuft is angled by about 75 degrees from tMe imaginary line. 19. /The toombrush of claim 16 or 17, wherein the third tuft is angled by about 81 degrees or less relative to the imaginary line and tilted awav frofn thf handle INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 0 MAY 2001 received NOW AMENDED towards a general direction from which the head extends f/om the handle. 20. The toothbrush of any one of claims 16-l/ wherein the cross-sectional area of the third tuft is at least four times as large as the cross-serctional area of any other tuft secured to the head. / / 21. The toothbrush of any one of claims 16-20, wherein no other tuft is secured to the head at a location which is as distal/from theAiandle as the location where the third tuft is secured to the head. / 22. The toothbrush of any one of claims 13-2/, wherein one or more of the bristles has a characteristic which is different/rom the other bristles, the characteristic being selected from the group consisting of /ength, diameter, cross-sectional area, cross-sectional shape, color, material and combinations th/reof. 23. The toothbrush of any one/of claim/13-21, wherein one of the tufts is angled towards the handle and the othe/of the tufas is angled away from the handle. 24. The toothbrush of any/ne of claims 13-23, wherein the two tufts are angled by between about 69 to 81 d/grces from the imaginary line. 25. The toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the two tufts are angled by about 75 degrees from the imaginary li/e. / 26. A toothbrush, co/iprising:/ a handle; / / a head extending from me handle; and first and second tuftsy6f bristles secured to the head, the tufts each being at an acute angle relativc/to an imaginary line which is tangent to or co-planar with a surface of the head thraoigh whicn the tufts are secured to the head, the tufts differing in cross-section, the first tuft befing angled in a first direction towards the handle, the second tuft being angled in aysecond direction opposite the first direction. 27. The/toothbrusn of claim 26, wherein the tufts also differ in color. 28. The toothbr/sh of claim 26 or 27, further including a third tuft which is tilted towards me handle/ 29. /A toothbrush, comprising: / a head /vith a frontal free end and a rearward section; / a harynle connected to the head; / tuft/of bristles arranged in longitudinal rows on the rearward section of the heaffl, tufts iiya first row being tilted in a first direction towards the free end of the / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY * OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 0 MAY 2001 fi r- A " Hf r n HOW AMENDED 10 J3 I head, tufts in a second row being tilted towards a second direct/ n opposite /he first direction; and a further tuft of bristles secured to the fronta) flie head and being tilted towards the first direction, the further tuft haj ater length, the tufts on the rearward section of the head either having tfie first j ;atfx length or a second smaller length, each longitudinal row including tufts of t sfies of the first and second lengths, adjacent tufts in a longitudinal rowyalternately h ing the first and second lengths. 30. A toothbrush substantially as her/inbefore des^ibed with reference to the accompanying drawings. ENd of claims INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 0 MAY 2001 RECEIVED AS AMENDED What we claim is:

1. A toothbrush, comprising; a handle; a head extending from the handle; and a plurality of tufts of bristles secured to the head, one of the tufts being secured to the head at a location such that no other tuft is secured to the head at a location which is more distal from the handle than the location where the one tuft is secured to the head, the one tuft being angled by 81 degrees or less relative to an imaginary line which is tangent to or co-planar with a surface of the head through which the one tuft is secured to the head, the one tuft being tilted away from the handle towards a direction along which the head extends from the handle, a second one of the tufts being tilted towards the handle, a third one of the tufts being angled at an acute angle relative to the imaginary line, the second tuft and the third tuft differing in cross-section.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the one tuft is angled by between about 69 to about 81 degrees from the imaginary line.

3. The toothbrush of claim 2, wherein the one tuft is angled by about 75 degrees from the imaginary line.

4. The toothbrush of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the second and third tufts have different lengths from each other when measured from the surface.

5. The toothbrush of claim 4, wherein the second and third tufts differ in length from each other by about .090 inches.

6. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-sections differ in shape.

7. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-section differ in area.

8. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-sectional area of the one tuft is at least eight times as large as the cross-sectional area of the second tuft or any one of the other tufts secured to the head.

9. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims, wherein no other tuft is secured to the head at a location which is as distal from the handle as the location where the one tuft is secured to the head.

10. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one tuft has a tuft volume measured from the head surface of between about .015 and .018 cubic inches.

11. The toothbrush of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the bristles has a characteristic which is different from the other bristles, the characteristic being selected from the group consisting of length, diameter, cross-sectional area, cross-sectional shape, color, material and combinations thereof. AS AMENDED

12. A toothbrush, comprising: a head with a frontal free end and a rearward section; a handle connected to the head; tufts of bristles arranged in longitudinal rows on the rearward section of the head, tufts in a first row being tilted in a first direction towards the free end of the head, tufts in a second row being tilted towards a second direction opposite the first direction; and a further tuft of bristles secured to the frontal free end of the head and being tilted towards the first direction, the further tuft having a first greater length, the tufts on the rearward section of the head either having the first greater length or a second smaller length, each longitudinal row including tufts of bristles of the first and second lengths, adjacent tufts in a longitudinal row alternately having the first and second lengths.

13. A toothbrush substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.