Toothbrushes wear out and progressively lose their ability to clean as the bristles abrade and become curled and matted. To study the factors that influence this process, we developed a quantitative measure of bristle splaying (wear index) and a method for judging and ranking the overall state of brush deterioration (wear rating) and used these to determine the effects of the individual user, brush design, time in use, and bristle material. Wear index is the average increase in brush-head dimensions normalized for maximum bristle length, and is dimensionless. Wear rating is a subjective means of classifying the increasing severity of deterioration on a scale of 0 to 3. The wear characteristics of a variety of commercial and experimental brushes with different design features were determined. Test variables were time in use, brush design (e.g., geometry and size of the brush head), and bristle composition. Time of use, the individual user, and bristle composition were found to have the strongest influences on splaying, and brush design was found to have the least influence. The wear index offers a quantitative means of comparing brushes of different dimensions at various stages of splaying. The wear rating, although qualitative, is a quick means of ranking brushes in various stages of deterioration. The two methods correlate (R2 = 0.87), and both are sensitive to several factors that affect brush durability. Therefore, these methods appear to be suitable not only for research, but also for quality control, the setting of standards, and for substantiation of advertising claims.

The extent to which a toothbrush is worn out, as evidenced by bristle splaying, is an important determinant of cleaning efficacy. In order for this aspect of oral hygiene to be studied, an accelerated means of producing a life-like pattern of bristle splaying was investigated and compared with splaying induced by a human test-panel. Porcelain denture teeth were brushed under a static applied load in a slurry of dentifrice, by means of a revolving "figure 8" motion, for up to 12,000 revolutions. This was found to induce an increase in the degree of splaying (as measured by "wear index") that was well-fitted (R2 = 0.96) by a second-order expression of the form: WI = WIi + Ritj - Ctj2 where WI = wear index, WIi = initial wear index, Ri = initial rate of increase in WI, tj = brushing time measured in either machine revolutions (tr) or weeks of human use (tw), and C = a separate constant for each brushing mode (machine or human panel). The rate of splaying was found to be strongly influenced by the quality of the bristle filament, but not by small differences in toothbrush design. The splaying pattern induced by the machine could not be distinguished visually from that in a set of brushes used at home by human volunteers. A strong correlation was found between the splaying produced by machine-brushing and by a panel who brushed free-style at home for 13 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

SYNOPSISSplaying and curling of bristles is a very important performance characteristic of nylon toothbrushes. For this reason, analytical methods are needed that correlate fundamental physical-chemical properties with the eventural development of bristle splaying. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction were each found to identify subtle differences in nylon 612 filament that had been subjected to varying processing conditions during manufacture. These differences were found to be related to water absorption and crystalline perfection and could be correlated with the characteristics of toothbrush wear. From the results, it was concluded that these three methods can be used for quality control and research purposes to predict and to study enduse performance factors such as bristle splaying. 0 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. INTRODUCTlONMost toothbrushes are made from nylon 612 filament. With use, the nylon bristles take on a permanent curl along the outer one-third of their length. This "splaying" process eventually leads to reduced cleaning effciency and to the perception that the brush is "worn out." Filament recovery from bending and machine "scrub" tests are currently used to predict this performance. Such tests are time-consuming, are highly subject to experimental variability, and give only minimal insight into fundamental properties. Thus, analytical methods are needed that rapidly provide information about fundamental physical-chemical properties that are predictive of end-use performance.Wearing out through the development of bristle splaying is one of the most important performance properties of brushes. As part of an effort to ensure consistent filament quality, nylon 612 filament was investigated using thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques. The filament samples were