Oral-B

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Oral-B
Logo since 2020
Product typeOral hygiene
OwnerProcter & Gamble
CountryUnited States
IntroducedJanuary 13, 1950; 76 years ago (1950-01-13)
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersThe Gillette Company
Websiteoralb.com
File:Oral-B CrossAction Pro-Health.jpg
Oral-B toothbrushes and floss

Oral-B is an American brand of oral hygiene products, including toothpastes, toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes, and mouthwashes. The brand has been in business since the invention of the Hutson toothbrush in 1950 and in Redwood City, California.[1][2][3][4] Oral-B has market availability in 150-170 countries.

History

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Robert W. Hutson (1919–2001),[5][6] owner of a periodontal practice in San Jose,[6][7] began designing a toothbrush in the 1940s.[6]

By 1949, he discovered that thin, round-ended, nylon filaments would be gentle on the gums yet effective for cleaning teeth.[6][7]

Hutson patented a toothbrush in 1950. The application for a design patent for his "Hutson toothbrush" was filed on January 13, 1950, and U.S. Design Patent No. 160,604 was granted on October 24 the same year.[8]

In 1958, he was granted a utility patent for a "mouthbrush" having fine, soft, flat-ended nylon bristles, and a similar appearance to the 1950 design.[9] He claimed in his application that the brush was less abrasive to tooth enamel, more effective at massaging the gums, and better at picking up tooth powder than other brushes available at the time, which featured coarse, angle-cut bristles.[citation needed]

The toothbrushes were made by the Owens Brush Company. The partners placed a $10,000 order for brushes and hired the first two salespeople. In order to create demand for new brushes, the sales team devoted almost all of their time to communicating with dentists, passing samples, and outreach work. The result of these efforts has been a steady increase in the number of orders. The next successful step was the decision to participate in the conventions and conferences of dentists held in the state of California.[citation needed]

Robert Hutson also created the Oral-B brand name. The first product was known as the "Oral-B 60",[10] because it had 60 tufts.[11] Other sizes were made with differing numbers of tufts and corresponding names.[6] Hutson sold his toothbrush business in the 1960s, and continued his San Jose periodontal practice.[6][12][13][14][15]

Oral-B became part of the Gillette group in 1984.[16] Braun, also part of the Gillette group at that time, started to use the Oral-B brand for electric toothbrushes. Procter & Gamble bought Gillette in 2005 and marketed Oral-B together with Crest under Pro-Health in 2007.[17][18] A company representative has stated that the "B" in Oral-B stands for "brush".[19]

In 2013, Colombian singer Shakira was chosen as the brand ambassador and spokesperson for the 3D White property.[20]

Products

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  • 1991: Bristle color fades with wear (Indicator toothbrush, Edison Awards winner)[21][22][23][24][25]
  • 1996: IDEO begins design of Oral-B for kids[26][27][28][29]
  • 1998: Angled bristles (CrossAction toothbrush)[21]
  • 2005: Oral-B Triumph ProfessionalCare 9000 enters the North American market featuring "smart technology". The Gillette Company is acquired by Procter & Gamble, uniting Oral-B and Crest beneath the umbrella of P&G Oral Care.[30]
  • 2010: Oral-B Triumph 5000 enters the international market, equipped with touch, sound and light indicators that notify of the need to change the nozzle.
File:Oral B iO toothbrush.jpg
Oral-B iO toothbrush

Oral-B's iO is a series of electric toothbrushes. The series received ADA's "Seal of Acceptance",[31] and three offerings appear in the top five highest scoring products reported by Consumer Reports in 2026.[32] It uses oscillation rotation, which was introduced by Oral-B in the 1990s.

See also

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References

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  6. ^ a b c d e f Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ US patent D160604 
  9. ^ US patent 2845649 
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  21. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  22. ^ US patent 4802255, Breuer, Miklos M. & Hanak, Joseph A., "Novel brush filaments", published Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)., assigned to Gillette Canada 
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  32. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Paper copy consulted.
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