Who invented the toothbrush?

In 1498, the Chinese created the first toothbrush as it is known today with bristles and a thin handle.Toothbrushes were mentioned as far back as 3,000 BC. They were described as chew sticks that were made of twigs with split threads at the end that could be rubbed vigorously against the teeth to remove food and plaque.

The Chinese toothbrush, however, was the first that was made specifically for brushing teeth and was not something found in nature as the twigs of the Babylonians and Egyptians were. The Chinese toothbrushes had coarse boar bristles and had a stick made out of bone or bamboo that was used as a handle.