What year was dental floss invented?
The concept of dental floss was put forward in the early 1800s by Levi Spear Parmly, who recommended that people floss with silk floss. Parmly belonged to a well known family of dentists. In his book entitled A Practical Guide to the Management of the Teeth, published in 1819, Parmly advocated flossing with waxed silken thread “to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove, and which is the real source of disease”. The first dental floss patent was awarded to Asahel M. Shurtleff of the dental-supply company Codman & Shurtleff, of Randolph, Massachusetts, in 1874. The description of the patented product was “An Improved Pocket Thread Carrier and Cutter,” similar to modern floss packages. However, the company did not actively market the floss until 1882. Johnson & Johnson developed and marketed the idea of floss on a broader scale from about 1896.
