EP0332026A1 - Brosse à dent avec décharge lente d'un agent désinfectant ou antibactérien et procédé pour sa fabrication - Google Patents

Brosse à dent avec décharge lente d'un agent désinfectant ou antibactérien et procédé pour sa fabrication Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0332026A1
EP0332026A1 EP89103503A EP89103503A EP0332026A1 EP 0332026 A1 EP0332026 A1 EP 0332026A1 EP 89103503 A EP89103503 A EP 89103503A EP 89103503 A EP89103503 A EP 89103503A EP 0332026 A1 EP0332026 A1 EP 0332026A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
agent
holes
capsules
bristles
tuft
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP89103503A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0332026B1 (fr
Inventor
Steven Kent
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Colgate Palmolive Co
Original Assignee
Colgate Palmolive Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=22599844&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP0332026(A1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Colgate Palmolive Co filed Critical Colgate Palmolive Co
Publication of EP0332026A1 publication Critical patent/EP0332026A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0332026B1 publication Critical patent/EP0332026B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
    • A46B11/001—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water with integral reservoirs
    • A46B11/0068—Brushes where the reservoir is specifically intended for solid substance that dissolves gradually
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
    • A46B11/0072—Details
    • A46B11/0079—Arrangements for preventing undesired leakage or dispensing
    • A46B11/0082—Means for closing, sealing or controlling the flow using capillary action
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
    • A46B2200/10—For human or animal care
    • A46B2200/1066—Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures

Definitions

  • the primary tool for every day cleaning of teeth remains the common toothbrush. Since the toothbrush frequently comes into contact with the oral environment and may be subsequently left in a non-sterile environment until subsequent use, the toothbrush bristles can harbour bacteria and upon re-use of the toothbrush, the bristles can become a source for introducing bacteria into the oral cavity.
  • the toothbrush has not been used as a source of medication but, rather, as an applicator for dentrifice. There would be merit in using the toothbrush as such a medication source, preferably as a complement to the dentrifice if a viable and practical low-cost means for doing so could be found.
  • U.S. Patent 914,501 is an early approach wherein a reservoir is formed along the sides of the bristles to contain liquid dentrifice.
  • This disclosure fails to provide long-lasting means for release of dentrifice or other agents since the liquid dentrifice would be washed from the oral cavity with each use.
  • Figure 3 of the U.S. Patent 1,026,738 discloses recesses 6 disposed annularly around the upper interior perimeter of tuft holes 4 to provide a source of dentrifice when the brush is immersed in water.
  • This patent again, fails to teach how a long-lasting source of disinfectant and/or other medications can be maintained over extended periods or be absorbed by the bristles over such long periods, i.e., over a period of extended use, as opposed to prior art teachings which disclose systems which would be effective for only a single use.
  • the drawing illustrates, in schematic form, a cross-­section of a portion of the head of a toothbrush suitable for the present invention.
  • toothbrushes of conventional manufacture are not sterile and, in fact, harbour bacteria which transfers into the oral cavity during repeated brushings.
  • the primary instrument for tooth cleaning itself can be source of infection within the mouth.
  • toothbrush which is capable of releasing medication effective against tooth and gum disease over extended periods of time, that is, during multiple uses of the toothbrush.
  • the solution to these long-recognized needs is the device of the present invention wherein disinfectant, medication or a mixture thereof is contained in slow-release capsules and the latter, either as a plurality of small capsules, which might be termed "microspheres", or within a single larger element or capsule, is placed within the tuft hole of the toothbrush head prior to the placement of the bristles therein. Subsequently, during repeated brushings, the water and saliva present in the oral cavity during brushing seeps into the tuft holes and causes the release of measured amounts of the disinfectant and/or medication. These agents travel up the tuft hole and out of it and into the oral cavity during brushing.
  • the drawing shows, in schematic form, a cross-section of a portion of the head of a toothbrush suitable for the present invention.
  • the device is generally designated 10 and has a brush head 11.
  • Two tuft holes for the bristles, 15 and 16, are depicted in brush head 11.
  • the bristles or filament 13 are inserted into the holes 15 and 16, most commonly by an anchor 17, typically composed of aluminum or an alloy such as brass or silver-nickel.
  • the tuft holes are particularly designed to incorporate a chamber or additional area 12 below the bottom of the bristles.
  • a chamber or additional area 12 below the bottom of the bristles.
  • slow-release capsules of disinfectant and/or medication Within the chamber 12 there are placed slow-release capsules of disinfectant and/or medication.
  • a large unitary capsule 14 having a number of microspheres therein or, alternatively, being one large element capable of slow release of its contents.
  • a plurality of relatively smaller capsules 14′ of the slow-release type are placed. It will be understood that the capsules 14 and 14′ are placed in the tuft holes during manufacture of the toothbrush prior to the insertion of the bristles 13.
  • the toothbrush In operation, the toothbrush is employed in the usual fashion, i.e., dentifrice is applied to the bristles and the brush is inserted into the oral cavity for brushing.
  • the water and saliva generated during this process causes measured amounts of disinfectant and/or medication to pass from their capsule enclosures and up along the bristles out of the tuft holes and into the mouth.
  • sufficient disinfectant remains on the bristles to render the same sterile, thereby preventing the formation of bacterial colonies and fungal growth which, in the case of prior art toothbrushes, infect the oral cavity when the toothbrush is next used.
  • capsules 14 and 14′ are of the slow-release type and, as such, may be of natural or synthetic polymers, e.g., gelatin, polyvinylpyrrolidone and hydroxyethylmethacrylate.
  • antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine, Triclosan, or bromochlorophene may be employed, as well as other known agents.
  • a wide variety of medicaments effective to destroy bacteria and fungus may be employed, both for the purpose of preventing bacterial/fungus growth on the brush and to deliver such ingredients into the oral cavity.
  • Hexetidene Phenols in general Trichlorophenyl Formaldehyde Quaternary Ammonium compounds e.g. Benzalkonium Chloride
  • Pyridine Derivatives e.g. Cetylpyridinium chloride
  • toothbrush of the present invention is well-suited for conventional brushing with a dentrifice, it may be used without the latter and thus be employed as a means of delivering suitable medications into the oral cavity.
  • the capsules used in the present invention may be of a number of known types. Generally, these systems are either those which release agents when the capsule wall is ruptured, or those which have wall material which dissolves in contact with water or other liquid.
  • the slow-release type preferred in this invention is a plurality of small microspheres which may be placed in a single outer coating of dissolvable material, as in 14, or placed in the tuft hole in relatively large numbers as in 15.
  • the preferred system is to use a large number of microspheres which have increasing wall thicknesses. In such a system, the microspheres which have the thinnest walls release their contents first--because the thinnest walls dissolve first. Thereafter, microspheres release their contents in increasing order of wall thickness. In this fashion, using suitably configured microspheres, the toothbrush releases disinfectants and medications over long periods and over many brushings. The total duration is a matter of selecting the type and number of microspheres to be employed.
  • Another preferred capsule is one formed of synthetic material which is cross-linked.
  • the rate of release of the agent(s) is determined by their rate of diffusion from the capsule, which is, in turn, controlled by the degree of cross-linking.
  • certain types of cross-linked capsules are essentially solid and swell in water ( rather than dissolve), so that pores are created through which the agent(s) can be released.. In this type, the rate of release is controlled by the amount of swelling which, in turn, is a function of the degree of cross-­linking.
  • Microspheres can be manufactured by a variety of ways, and include polymer spheres that have varying pore sizes. Microspheres suitable for use in this invention preferably are about 74-500 microns in diameter. The distribution and size of the microspheres dictate the rate of release. Also, larger structures (e.g., 1mm or so in diameter) can be manufactured via standard tablet manufacturing processes and may include an inner non-absorbable material, giving a "matrix tablet". Whatever means are selected, the release of a drug or similar agent in any system depends on the rate of diffusion, which can be controlled.
  • One method of making suitable microspheres would be via the method used by Lee et al. as set forth in Science 213; 233-234, 1981, which involves mixing gelatine and an active ingredient with water which is then added to an oil phase to produce spheres of gelatine/active/water.
  • the speed of mixing controls the size of the spheres.
  • the spheres can be cross-­linked--at least on their external surfaces--by a glutaraldehyde solution.
  • the active ingredient leaches out of the spheres and the rate of release will be dependent on the degree of cross-linking and active concentration, i.e., the amount and strength of the active ingredient.
  • the capsule(s) or tablet(s) are colored with a water-soluble dye and the brush head is visually clear, thereby enabling the user to be aware when the contents of the capsule(s) or tablet(s) have been depleted and, thus, that the sterilization and medicinal efficiency of the brush head is correspondingly depleted, so that the user will know that the toothbrush should be placed.
  • Another embodiment of the invention is to coat the anchor 17--which is usually metal such as nickel-silver, brass, aluminum, etc.--with the disinfectant and/or antibacterial/fungus agents described above.
  • a water-swellable coating or a coating capable of releasing the above agent(s) in concentrations sufficient to achieve the disinfecting and medicinal purposes described when wet, is applied to the metal.
  • the metal anchors are usually derived from a continuous spool of the metal(s) mentioned above and are passed to the tufting machine and cut to size in situ.
  • the coating material may be, for example, a polyvinyl or similar polymer capable of forming a film, e.g., cast from alcohol.
  • the coating can be applied to the spool of metal at the source of manufacture or just prior to the tufting process via a coating bath or spray. To retain sufficient material, a groove may be formed on one or both sides of the metal anchor to hold the coating material.
  • a variation of the above is to form the metal anchor in two or more strips (not shown) and to apply the coating as a "sandwich" between two of the strips.
  • the anchor can be made of high strength plastic which then can be coated with the agent(s) described above.
  • agent(s) can be incorporated in the plastic anchor itself.

Landscapes

  • Brushes (AREA)
EP89103503A 1988-03-08 1989-02-28 Brosse à dent avec décharge lente d'un agent désinfectant ou antibactérien et procédé pour sa fabrication Expired - Lifetime EP0332026B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US165650 1980-07-03
US16565088A 1988-03-08 1988-03-08

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0332026A1 true EP0332026A1 (fr) 1989-09-13
EP0332026B1 EP0332026B1 (fr) 1993-07-14

Family

ID=22599844

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89103503A Expired - Lifetime EP0332026B1 (fr) 1988-03-08 1989-02-28 Brosse à dent avec décharge lente d'un agent désinfectant ou antibactérien et procédé pour sa fabrication

Country Status (9)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0332026B1 (fr)
JP (1) JPH027903A (fr)
AU (1) AU616483B2 (fr)
BR (1) BR8901058A (fr)
CA (1) CA1321290C (fr)
DE (1) DE68907502T2 (fr)
DK (1) DK169886B1 (fr)
MX (1) MX169824B (fr)
PH (1) PH27587A (fr)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2643261A1 (fr) * 1989-02-22 1990-08-24 Tonelli Jean Charles Perfectionnement aux dentifrices
DE19646519A1 (de) * 1996-11-12 1998-05-14 Pedex & Co Gmbh Zahnpflegegerät und Verfahren zur Herstellung von Reinigungselementen für Zahnpflegegeräte
WO1999055194A1 (fr) * 1998-04-24 1999-11-04 F.A. Rueb Holding Gmbh Procede pour la fabrication d'une brosse a dents en plastique
US7331731B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2008-02-19 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
RU2325830C2 (ru) * 2002-09-05 2008-06-10 Колгейт-Палмолив Компани Зубная щетка одноразового использования
RU2426490C1 (ru) * 2008-01-24 2011-08-20 Колгейт-Палмолив Компани Устройство для ухода за полостью рта
USD660599S1 (en) 2009-02-05 2012-05-29 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
ITPD20130126A1 (it) * 2013-05-10 2014-11-11 Spazzolificio Piave Spa Testa di spazzolino da denti
US10016053B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2018-07-10 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH01101917A (ja) * 1987-10-15 1989-04-19 Sangi Co Ltd 歯ブラシ
US8459892B2 (en) 2008-06-25 2013-06-11 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US8282298B2 (en) 2008-06-26 2012-10-09 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
TWI462709B (zh) 2010-03-31 2014-12-01 Colgate Palmolive Co 可快速釋放味道的口腔保健用具
CN106794057B (zh) * 2014-09-29 2020-07-03 皇家飞利浦有限公司 具有无泵流体输送系统的口腔护理设备

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE451728C (de) * 1927-11-03 Cornelius Gordijn Jr Buerste mit einem mit Hohlraeumen zur Aufnahme eines Antiseptikums versehenen Buerstenkoerper

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS437396Y1 (fr) * 1965-10-12 1968-04-02
JPS4318259Y1 (fr) * 1966-06-15 1968-07-29
US3378870A (en) * 1967-03-22 1968-04-23 Matsunaga Kenji Toothbrush
US4837007A (en) * 1985-12-11 1989-06-06 Lever Brothers Company Fluoridating oral cavity

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE451728C (de) * 1927-11-03 Cornelius Gordijn Jr Buerste mit einem mit Hohlraeumen zur Aufnahme eines Antiseptikums versehenen Buerstenkoerper

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
SCIENCE, vol. 324, 10th July 1981, pages 233-235, AAAS; T. LEE et al.: "Serum albumin beads: An injectable, biodegradable system for the sustained release of drugs" *

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2643261A1 (fr) * 1989-02-22 1990-08-24 Tonelli Jean Charles Perfectionnement aux dentifrices
DE19646519A1 (de) * 1996-11-12 1998-05-14 Pedex & Co Gmbh Zahnpflegegerät und Verfahren zur Herstellung von Reinigungselementen für Zahnpflegegeräte
WO1999055194A1 (fr) * 1998-04-24 1999-11-04 F.A. Rueb Holding Gmbh Procede pour la fabrication d'une brosse a dents en plastique
US7331731B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2008-02-19 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
RU2325830C2 (ru) * 2002-09-05 2008-06-10 Колгейт-Палмолив Компани Зубная щетка одноразового использования
US7722274B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2010-05-25 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
US10016053B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2018-07-10 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
RU2426490C1 (ru) * 2008-01-24 2011-08-20 Колгейт-Палмолив Компани Устройство для ухода за полостью рта
USD660599S1 (en) 2009-02-05 2012-05-29 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
ITPD20130126A1 (it) * 2013-05-10 2014-11-11 Spazzolificio Piave Spa Testa di spazzolino da denti

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3087689A (en) 1989-09-14
DE68907502T2 (de) 1994-02-17
PH27587A (en) 1993-08-18
JPH027903A (ja) 1990-01-11
EP0332026B1 (fr) 1993-07-14
DK110989D0 (da) 1989-03-07
DK110989A (da) 1989-09-09
AU616483B2 (en) 1991-10-31
CA1321290C (fr) 1993-08-17
DK169886B1 (da) 1995-03-27
MX169824B (es) 1993-07-27
DE68907502D1 (de) 1993-08-19
BR8901058A (pt) 1989-10-24

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