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The oldest that we have news of was found in an Egyptian tomb from 3000 BC: a small branch with the tip frayed until only the fibers remain. The bristle brush appeared in China around 1498. The handle was a bamboo stick or a piece of bone with pig hair tied at one end. During the seventeenth century, Chinese merchants spread the novelty in Europe, where, because of the price, it was common to have a single brush for the whole family. These brushes – as well as their horsehair successors – gathered moisture and caused mold, harmful to oral hygiene. In addition, the bristles were sharp and hurt the gums. Only in 1938 did Dr. West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush appear in the United States, the first toothbrush with nylon bristles. The next evolution was the soft bristle, which first appeared in the early 1950s.