The toothbrush is the primary aid for oral hygiene. The toothbrush in its present form was manufactured on a mass scale in the year 1885 in the USA. A particular date or a person cannot be precisely specified for the invention of the toothbrush. The toothbrush in the form of twigs was used by the ancient Chinese and Indians.
These twigs were chewed upon. The chewed portion also acts as a brush and was used to clean the teeth. Generally, neem twigs were used for brushing in India and this practice is still predominant. Therefore, there is no documented origin of a toothbrush. The toothbrush in the present form was invented by William Addis of England; however, it was the design by an American H.N. Wadsworth which was the first one to be patented in the year 1857. Soon, in 1885, the mass production of this design created a new awareness to dental hygiene.
