History of Panasonic’s Dental Care

Since the 1970s, Panasonic has continued in its pursuit of cutting-edge dental care products to meet changing needs.
We now have a history of over 40 years of research and development dedicated to the creation of increasingly more advanced products.

Leading the way in dental care.
Product development to meet the needs of the times.

Panasonic began developing dental care products in the 1970s. In Japan, we were a pioneer in this field.

At the time, dental care had mainly to do with the prevention of tooth decay. Panasonic product development was also almost entirely focused on the removal of plaque from the surface of teeth.

As the health of teeth gained more attention, dental care needs began to become more diverse.
Panasonic was quick to react to these changing needs with the development of new state-of-the-art products.
In recent years, rather than tooth decay, people have become more concerned about loss of teeth due to periodontal disease. With this in mind, we have taken the lead over other companies with the research and development of products for periodontal pocket care.

Electric toothbrush motor production line in 1979

Promoting the best double care for the prevention of periodontal disease

At present, Panasonic's approach to periodontal care is focused on the removal of plaque from between teeth and in periodontal pockets with an electric toothbrush and an oral irrigator.

Brushing scrapes out plaque from periodontal pockets while an irrigator washes it away with water. This double care is also highly recommended by dentists.

Promoting the best double care for the prevention of periodontal disease

Electric toothbrush: Effective removal of plaque with three technologies

How can plaque be effectively scraped out of periodontal pockets? Panasonic is making every effort to develop the optimum technologies for periodontal care with an emphasis on the three key points of the brush, the method of brushing and vibrations.

Extra-fine bristles

Reaches deep into periodontal pockets to remove plaque.

Gumline movement

Brush follows the gumline in periodontal pockets for exceptionally effective removal of plaque.

Ultra-precise 1mm sonic vibrations

Removes plaque while minimizing the burden on gums.
(Brush stroke speed : Approx. 1mm Approx. 31,000 strokes/min)

Irrigator: A powerful water jet washes away plaque

After scraping plaque away with brushing, simply rinsing your mouth with water may not be enough to wash it all away. As a result of thorough research, Panasonic recommends oral irrigation after brushing. The combination of cleaning periodontal pockets and in between teeth, and gum care is the best way to deal with plaque.

Periodontal pocket cleaning

Washes away floating plaque in periodontal pockets

Interdental cleaning

Flushes away food debris caught between teeth

Gum care

Comfortably stimulates your gums

The aim was to achieve exceptional brushing performance with the same ease of use as an ordinary toothbrush. Here's a look at the technological innovations related to the brush, motor and recharge capability of the electric toothbrush.

Evolution of the brush

From a toothbrush designed to prevent tooth decay to a toothbrush that can also provide periodontal pocket care.
The size and shape of the brush has changed to meet changing needs.

Change in brush shape

Flat-shaped Brush

(First period of development up to 1994)
A simple shape with bristle tips aligned.
Technique is required when brushing detailed areas. Initially, the head was large.

Mountain Cut Brush

(From 1995)
Brush with a three-dimensional shape combining mountain cut bristles, ideal for rotation brushing, and medium and high bristles, ideal for bass brushing. The head was also more compact.

Double Edge Brush

(From 2008)
Bristles on both edges are designed to clean behind the back teeth and between teeth, while the flat bristles in the center are for cleaning the surface of teeth. This unique shape provides a better match with the shape of teeth.

Extra-fine Brush

(From 2016)
Developed to provide periodontal pocket care. Features bristles that are 0.02 mm in diameter and no more than 3 mm long to assure entry into pockets only as deep as necessary.

Brush variations for different kinds of care

For periodontal pocket care Extra-fine Brush

Combination of sonic vibrations and extra-fine bristles to remove the bacteria in periodontal pockets that cause periodontal disease.

To prevent tooth decay
Multi-fit Brush

For thorough cleaning of the surface of teeth and where teeth meet, leaving teeth feeling smooth.

For stain care
Stain Care Brush

With high-density diamond-shaped bristles designed to remove stains on teeth.

For gum care
Silicone Brush

Combines minute sonic vibrations of the brush head and silicone bristles to gently stimulate gums.

For interdental
care Point Brush

Conical brush for cleaning behind back teeth, between teeth and where teeth are poorly aligned.

For halitosis care
Tongue Cleaning Brush

With soft bristles for gentle cleaning of the surface of the tongue.

Evolution of the motor

The motor is the cornerstone of electric toothbrush performance. As well as the ability to safely remove plaque, the motor has to be compact. Panasonic is continuing to promote the development of unique technologies.

Brush stroke change

Conventional Motor +
Rotation Brushing

With a conversion mechanism, motor rotation was changed to a reciprocating movement.

Speed of approx. 6,000 to 7,200 brush strokes per minute.

Latest Linear Motor +
Gumline Brushing

Gentle on teeth and gums yet provides exceptional brushing performance with minute high-speed sonic vibrations.
Speed of approx. 31,000 brush strokes per minute.

Changes in motor size

Motors have become more compact. Using plastic instead of metal for the parts of the latest linear motor has made it
dramatically more compact while increasing body design freedom to make the toothbrush easier to hold and use.

Rotary motor

(From the early stage of development to 1999)
Used in the EW128

Early linear motor

(2000 - 2012)
Used in the EW1000

Latest linear motor

(2013- )
Used in the EW-DE42

Evolution of the recharge function

The aim was to develop a product enabling easy daily use. Every effort was made to achieve a design providing a shorter recharge time and easy maintenance while preventing short circuits that can cause a fire.

Contact charge

(1983 - 1991)
Charged with the toothbrush in contact with a metal terminal. Had the advantage of reducing manufacturing costs.

Contactless charge

(1981 / 1991- )
Charged just by placing the toothbrush on the stand. Also easy to clean. Eliminating the metal terminal made it waterproof and safer to use when wet.

Floating charge

(2015- )
The bottom of the toothbrush doesn't come into direct contact with the charging stand so it's easier to keep clean. And charge time has been dramatically cut from the previous 17 hours to 1 hour.

Introduction to star products from the beginning of development up until now.
* All products shown are those sold in Japan.

Start of electric toothbrush sales

Electric Toothbrush

EZ100

Made cordless and battery-operated to make it easier to use than a toothbrush with a cord. Featured multiple color-coded brushes to enable use by the whole family.

Oral Irrigator

Start of oral irrigator sales

EZ160

Panasonic's first oral irrigator. A two-in-one unit enabling switching of brush/nozzle for brushing/irrigating.

The first model with a contactless charging system

EW111

A contactless charging model enabling charging in 30 hours for 40 minutes of continuous use. Featuring a highly efficient coreless motor enabling a slim design.

EW128

With switching between rotation brushing and horizontal brushing. Switching between high and low brush vibration speed also possible.

EW129

Three-speed model enabling brushing at a desired strength. Due to the rapid increase in sales volume as a result of the bubble economy in Japan, manufacturing was automated. A little later, exports to the United States began.

EW182

Providing up-down and horizontal brushing for correct brushing of specific areas. Featuring an advanced brush with a compact head and medium and high mountain cut bristles, and pen grip recommended by dentists.

First use of a linear motor

EW1150

Two-way type offering a choice of rotation or horizontal brushing

EW1000

The first model with a linear motor. Delivering sonic vibrations of approx. 31,000 per minute and head rotation to remove approx. 2.5 times as much plaque. Featuring a 3-angle brush to brush the surface and backs of teeth, and where the teeth come together all at once.

EW1013

Featuring a floating brush with a spring device under the bristles. The tufts of bristles move up and down to clean between teeth and remove plaque. Also includes a silicone brush and Massage mode for gum care.

Newly developed ion technology

EW1045

Featuring ion technology providing a weak electric current to float off food debris together with sonic vibrations to efficiently remove approx. 50% more plaque.
(Compared to Panasonic's previous EW1038)

Development of a portable electric toothbrush

EW-DS11

Compact (16 cm long) toothbrush that fits in a pouch. Featuring a simple design, an electric toothbrush that can be used like a regular toothbrush. Ideal for the increasingly popular habit of brushing teeth after lunch.

EW-DJ10

A battery-operated model that can be used where there's no power outlet. With a choice of normal and soft water flow strengths for cleaning periodontal pockets and between teeth, and for gum care.

Development of a new linear motor

EW-DE42

A compact, lightweight model featuring a new linear motor. The combined effect of sonic vibrations, gumline movement and the extra-fine bristles enables brushing and cleaning of periodontal pockets.

EW-DJ51

Waterproof cordless type that can be used in the bath or shower. Provides a powerful water jet to remove food debris from areas hard to reach with a toothbrush.

Newly developed
model enabling charging in 1 hour

EW-DE54

Featuring an innovative design. Full charge time shortened to 1 hour compared to the previous 17 hours. Can be used once for approx. 2 min after a 2 min charge.

Newly developed ultrasonic technology
Newly developed double sonic vibrations

EW-DP51

Provides dramatically improved plaque removal*²with double sonic vibrations*¹ combining horizontal vibrations andtapping vibrations.

*¹ Vibrations in the ultrasonic range
*² Comparison of the EW-DP51 W Clean mode and Normal mode (Comparison by Panasonic)

EW-DJ71

Provides powerful removal of plaque and food debris from areas hard to reach with a brush with original ultrasonic technology*³. Also cleans between teeth and periodontal pockets for gum care.

*³ Water flow with ultrasonic waves generated by shock waves created when bubbles burst.

Panasonic's conscientious approach to "Japan Quality" manufacturing covers everything from advanced dental care technology and performance to ease of use, thorough safety measures, exceptional long-life durability and reliability.

To maintain "Japan Quality", Panasonic performs a wide range of product quality tests and checks to assure the highest quality possible.

With the concept of "Japan Quality" firmly in mind, Panasonic intends to continue making advances in dental care.

The Panasonic Hikone Plant, Shiga Prefecture

A plant for integrated production of dental care products, with processes ranging from die machining to the assembly of complete products.