Rearview Mirror: Before the Toothbrush

CEBU, Philippines - If you're under the impression that people in the past didn't practice any form of oral hygiene, think again.

From using cleaning powders made from crushed oyster shells and bones to using rough pieces of cloth and water to clean pearly whites, the practice of keeping one's teeth and gums fresh and clean has been around for thousands of years - predating today's commercially available toothbrush and toothpaste.

In Babylonia and Ancient Egypt, twigs whose ends were split up and frayed were used as "toothbrushes." These oral hygiene implements are formally referred to as chew sticks, and these are widely considered to be the toothbrush's predecessors - considering how their "cleaning action" is similar to that of the toothbrush.

Experts also share that the ancient Greeks and Romans had their version of the toothpaste, taking shape in cleaning compounds that were made from crushed bones and crushed oysters. Other cleaning compounds made from burned eggshells were also used as cleaning agents.

The Chinese are often cited to be among the first to come up with an early incarnation of today's toothbrush during the Tang Dynasty (619-907). These early toothbrush versions were composed of handles made of either animal bone or bamboo, with bristles taken from the hair of animals.

It is said that the Chinese's toothbrushes found their way into Europe in the 17th century, when toothbrushes with bristles made from boar or horse hair gained the approval of the populace.

Though early mass produced toothbrush variants were already in circulation by the mid-1700s, it took some time before toothbrushes with synthetic fibers as bristles came to be.

The brand DuPont is credited to be the first to produce nylon bristle toothbrushes in 1938, paving the way for advances and developments in the standards of oral hygiene implements.