MiscellaneousTHEOPTIMUMCHARACTERISTICSOF.docVIP

Miscellaneous THE OPTIMUM CHARACTERISTICS OF TOOTHBRUSHES FOR PERSONAL ORAL HYGIENE* By CHARLES C. BASS, M,D. School of Medicine, Tulane University of Louisiana, New Orleans, La. *Studies promoted by facilities to which the Author has had access at the School of Medicine, Tulane University of Louisiana, and by aid for equipment and supplies provided by the University. ------------------ Maintenance of dental health and of reasonable oral cleanliness can be accomplished only by effective personal oral hygiene To prevent the initiation and further progress of caries and periodontoclasia, one must clean his teeth right, every night before retiring. However, cleaning the teeth at other times also promotes still greater oral cleanliness. The teeth can be cleaned well enough to prevent disease and to maintain reasonable oral cleanliness only by the proper use of the right kind of both toothbrush and dental floss. Both the brush and the floss must have the characteristics which are necessary for the functions they respectively serve. The functions of dental floss and specifications for the most effective and most appropriate floss for personal oral hygiene, are presented in a companion paper. 1 The functions of the toothbrush and the optimum characteristics of brushes for personal oral hygiene are preserved herein. FUNCTIONS OF THE TOOTHBRUSH Proper use of the toothbrush is necessary to dean all the exposed surfaces, pits, grooves and spaces about teeth, which can be reached by the bristles of the brush. The material to be removed consists of (a) food material of all kinds that may have been retained about the teeth since the previous cleaning, (D) microorganismal material that has grown and accumulated at these locations since the previous cleaning, or prior thereto. NEED FOR THE TOOTHBRUSH IN CLEANING THE EXPOSED SURFACES OF TEETH The enamel crown is covered by a very thin delicate keratin-like membrane, the enamel cuticle. At locations where functional friction clea