Oral-B

  Oral-B is a brand name of toothbrush and other dental care products (such as dental floss) manufactured by Procter and Gamble who acquired Gillette in 2005. The brand also includes power toothbrushes and interdental products (such as irrigators and oral care centers).

Gillette claims that Oral-B toothbrushes are "used by more dentists and consumers than any other brand in the U.S. and in many international markets."^[1]

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Products

The Oral-B product line contains the following:^[2]

History

Pre-1980s

• 1950 - The first Oral-B toothbrush was designed and patented in California by Dr. Robert Hutson, a California periodontist. The first product was called "Oral-B 60," as it had 60 tufts. Dr. Hutson started a family-owned company based on the brush.
• 1969 - An Oral-B toothbrush is the first to go to the moon. It rode on the Apollo 11 mission.
• 1978 - The electric toothbrush called the "D1" was mass produced, simulating the manual side-to-side movements of a manual brush. It was sold predominantly in Europe.

1980s

• 1981 - The "Oral-B Right Angle" was introduced.
• 1984 - Oral-B was acquired by Gillette. Braun introduced the first power toothbrush that combined vertical and horizontal movements. The Star Wars toothbrush is released for children.
• 1986 - Muppets toothbrushes and toothpaste for children were launched.
• 1987 - The Oral-B Ultra Plus is released, the first Oral-B product design with Braun collaboration.

1990s

• 1991 - The D5 was released and clinically proven to clean better than a manual toothbrush. The Oral-B Indicator was released with fading bristles. The Chilean business Duralon was acquired.
• 1992 - The Oral-B Plaque Control Center, OC5, was released with a power toothbrush and oral irrigator.
• 1993 - The Oral-B Advantage toothbrush was released featuring multilevel trim patterns.
• 1994 - The D7 (with indicator bristles and nonslip gripping) and the Oral-B Compact Interdental brush were launched.
• 1995 - The Squish Grip and Gripper brushes were released. Oral-B UltraFloss dental floss is launched. The Pro business in Latin America was acquired.
• 1996 - The Advantage Control Grip toothbrush was released featuring micro-textured bristles and an ergonomic dual material handle. The D9 (Oral-B Plaque Remover) and the Oral-B Interclean Interdental Plaque Remover were launched.
• 1997 - Oral-B partners with Nickelodeon. Oral-B acquired the Prudent business in India.
• 1998 - The Oral-B 3D Plaque Remover, Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush and SATINfloss were released.

2000s

• 2000 - The Oral-B 3D Excel, Oral-B Kids' Power toothbrush, and the Oral-B Battery Toothbrush were launched.
• 2001 - Oral-B entered into an exclusive license agreement with Disney to release products including manual, battery, and rechargeable power toothbrushes, showcasing Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, and the Disney Princesses.
• 2002 - The Oral-B Stages line is introduced, marking the first time children's toothbrushes are designed for the four different stages of a child's dental development.

Oral-B acquires the Zooth brand of children's power toothbrushes which feature sculpted characters like Barbie, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Finding Nemo, and Hot Wheels.

• 2003 - The Oral-B CrossAction Power toothbrush is launched. The Oral-B CrossAction Vitalizer manual toothbrush and Stages Kids' Flossers are also introduced.

• 2004 - Oral-B introduces its first sonic toothbrush, the Oral-B Sonic Complete.

Other products introduced in 2004 are the CrossAction Power Max and ProfessionalCare 8000 series of electric toothbrushes, the Advantage Artica manual toothbrush, Stages power toothbrushes and Stages tooth & gum cleanser.

• 2005 - The Gillette Company is acquired by Procter & Gamble, uniting Oral-B and Crest beneath the umbrella of P&G Oral Care. P&G Oral Care becomes the only company to have offerings across all key segments of the category - providing consumers with a broad range of products for their full oral health regimen, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, dental floss, whitening and dentures.

An independent review by the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration, a British-based non-profit health research group, found oscillating-rotating technology, pioneered by Oral-B, to be consistently better at removing plaque and reducing gingivitis than manual toothbrushing.

Oral-B Triumph ProfessionalCare 9000 is introduced, featuring "smart technology".

Oral-B Pulsar is introduced featuring the first manual toothbrush with a pulse.

• 2006 - Oral-B Vitality is launched, marking the first time rechargeable power toothbrushes are available at an affordable price of less than $20, including Sonic technology.

Oral-B Sensitive Advantage is introduced - an extra soft brush for sensitive gums.

• 2007 - Oral-B introduces Pulsar Pro-Health, combining the bristle and brush head innovation from Oral-B Pulsar with new gentle ProSoft bristles.

Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide is launched. It is the first rechargeable power toothbrush to combine cleaning and gum care with a wireless remote display to provide while-you-brush feedback for optimal brushing habits.

^[3]

Trivia

In 2007 Lawyers representing Procter & Gamble, father company of Oral-B, sent a cease-and-desist letter to British sex-toy company Love Honey, demanding that it stop using images of its Oral B electric toothbrushes to promote a product called the Brush Bunny - a rabbit-shaped piece of plastic that slips over the top of an Oral B to turn it into a vibrator. ^[4]

See also

• Toothbrush
• Oral care
• Gillette
• Braun

Notes and references

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