Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-05-25
Is the Toothbrush Obsolete

-Dr. psrnard Tslaman An Oral HyRisns. -
MOT ONLY has the public become accustomed to
IN look upon the brush az necessary, but our
teachers and the great army Of dentists recon-
ending dlisent THE teaching Of school chill
and of adults how 10 the brush properly con-
stitutes what I consider the menace Of the tooth
brush: because II has been proved 10 me that the
brush defeating the very purposes OF our oral
hygiene movement and that actually injecting
the mouth instead OF cleaning II by the use OK the
filthy Eerm-ridden thing. DR.. Head called the ct
tenton profession the dirty condition OF the
brush II is used by the general public Prof Miller
proved that the brushing action Of the brisues upon
the surfaces Of the teeth had very injurious me-
ohanoal wasting effect the necls Of the teeth
Prof Hutchinson reported the conclusions which were
reached in this matter by research workers, and mis-
remarks emphatic that the matter can not be
well ignored The plain truth IL that The brush is
dangerous instrument which r. practically impossible
steriize. It not be boiled with IMMUNITY and
practically all agents. such tcrssol OF formalin
render the brties Of the brush the handle unfit for
further use To quote Prof Hutchinson: Not only
the public but the dentists themselves, have little
conception Of the filthy state of the comparatively
clean toothbrush az used in everyday ife
But granting the lmpossible-Le.. that the brush
with It's brstles covered with thin ribbon Of tooth
paste powder IL steriIe-why should use II when
Il does not reach the interprozim spaces where Il IL
important that the brises should reach7 Tooth
decay starts I'm these in the majority Of cases
An efficient cleaning is probably never obtained by
the brush. What is more probable is that many Of
the that present the brses deposited
in these spaces The silk floss does reach between the
teeth and does clean the food debris. IT seems
seifevident that the brush fails 70 do what It IL sup
posed to do, 30 why use It when it does not do any
good2
ITO cite an example which was given to me by
friend few minutes before gave orai-hyeiene
talk 20 school chdren tho big brush that is used by
the street cleaners will clean the surfaces OF the
cobhlestones in the gutter, but viii glide over the
cracks WHARF, most OF the dirt IL settled. This
~
object to illustrate how and why the tooth
brush to dlslodge the food debris between the cracks
but why should we follow the example or pat
tern the cleaning Of teeth after the method Of
the cleaning Of cutters having cobblestones7 To cite
other examples: stiff brush with a liberal amount
Of soap and water, vigorously applied will clean tho
smooth surfaces of floors; the cloth OF persons
suit be cleaned by the clothes brush and one =
shoes can be polished by shoe brush. Inert sub
stances can not cry out that this rubbing hurts. DR..
W. d. Miller proved that The kind Of agent. a
brush Of smaller size but exactly the in prin-
oipe does hurt the soft tissues the oral cavity
This tearing and rubbing on the gums of the teeth
arc done by brush which Is filthy with those very
germs that we are very anxious TO rid the mouth
OF. Would the surgeon sanction the cleansing of an
open wound with infected brush which covered
with an entiseptic tOOth-paste powder7 Are we
oral surgeons therefore justified in teaching children
and adults to such instrument on soft gums
and teeth7 Experiments made which proved that
the brush contains quantity OF germs comparable
| with the number or germs found In sewage Twelve
sterile brushes used these experiments applied
once the teeth. rinsed ten times IN lumber OF
water left to stand for twelve hours when all
the brstes removed with sterile forceps and the
organisms counted IN the usual way. In eight cases
out Of the twelve the results were as quoted One
hates 10 think how filthy the brushes are that arp
used daily. especially By those people I'm whose
| septic processes taking place No one that car
look squarey at facts and that has the courage "a
stand by proved principle continue use the
| brush nor advise its use for HE clientele
| "our research workers. OF which we have far
too few. have proved conclusivsly. to me al least
that the toothbrush is undesirable and inefficient
has been shown that pases and powders and lotions
are beneficial. whenever they do not discolor the
teeth OF what sood Is research work 70 the rank and
file do not benefit by the findings. The conclusion
which have reached IL that able and unbiased
board commission OF dentists should solve this
problem for the central profession. and give us a
technique for cleaning the oral cavity that oral
hygiene This could then be taken up by the rank and
file. and the doctrine spread broadcast Until such
method Is adopted may suggest that we go back
to the old japanese method OF sinR the clean fore
finger 20 and clean the gums and sur
faces Of the teeth7 II seems to be natures own In.
strument that just fits the BILL Instead Of using
| salt and water did the Japanese use ouI
modern lotions. to be followed by the recognized ef-
! ficent sik-floss strpss Mind you this IL my owr
ideas but cite only to create discussion among
start right by abandoning the filthy toothbrush one,
Il ..Iits