The Toothbrush
Designer and materials engineer Zoe Laughlin explores the science - and conducts her own experiments - behind creating a more sustainable solution for brushing our teeth.
Designer, maker and materials engineer Zoe Laughlin explores an item so ubiquitous that most of us don’t give it a moment’s thought - the toothbrush. With 200 milion thrown away each year in the UK, she’s on a mission to find a more sustainable solution.
In search of inspiration, she heads to Sweden’s impressive low-impact mega-factory Tepe, where handles made from sugar-cane-based plastic are ahead of the pack. She explores bespoke production techniques, employing 3D-laser sintering, and dips into the archives of the British Dental Association, revealing the light-bulb moment when the modern brush was hit upon in a prison cell.
Turning to toothpaste itself, pioneering scientists are using bio-active glass to get more fluoride to our teeth. Unconventional options used at Lush Cosmetic’s Willy Wonker-style lab get Zoe's taste buds tingling, before she reveals her final toothbrush and alternative 'paste'. Both are uniquely Zoe - and just a bit bonkers - but they could also provide a very real eco-friendly answer to our daily brushing needs.
Last on
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Zoe Laughlin |
| Editor | Bernard Pearson |
| Editor | Gill Abraham |
| Executive Producer | Sarah Trigg |
| Executive Producer | Maia Liddell |
| Producer | Jake Clifford |
| Producer | Ekta Walia |
| Director | Darren Coates |
| Director | Paul Kittel |
| Production Company | Wonder |
Watch more Open University experiments and explore engineering further
Learn more about materials and design thinking with The Open University.
