The headlines in 1898 were dominated by the Spanish-American War, which transformed the United States into a worldwide power.
But there is another, humbler anniversary associated with that year, a development that significantly improved the oral and overall health of millions in America and around the world: the mass production of dental floss.
There’s a reason why oral health professionals love dental floss. It’s a readily available, inexpensive form of prevention and, unlike much of what’s on TikTok, a safe form of self-care that dentists feel comfortable promoting to patients.
Human beings have sought to clean the spaces between their teeth for centuries. Paleontologists have speculated that prehistoric man used horse hair, for instance. Dentistry advanced beyond such primitive methods with the 1815 introduction of waxed silken thread as floss by New Orleans dentist Dr. Levi Spear Parmly and Codman and Shurleft Company’s marketing of unwaxed silk floss in 1882.
One obstacle prevented these early modern forms of dental floss from wider adoption: not enough sturdy material. Household sewing thread was too fragile to pass between teeth, and the lack of more durable silk floss drove up its cost. People made do, then, with a thorny alternative: inserting the sharpened ends of quills or slivers of wood between teeth.
But a great step forward occurred in 1898, when New Brunswick, NJ-based Johnson & Johnson took out a patent that greatly increased the use and availability of dental floss through silk sutures—the material left over from manufacturing sterile sutures for surgery.
In July of that year, the company included in its price list plain and waxed silk floss in 12- and 24-yard spools. The dental floss was initially packaged in flat round metal containers. Over time, these were replaced by cylindrical tins holding a small amount of floss, with a built-in edge that made it easier for users to cut desired lengths.
The ready supply of silk enabled Johnson & Johnson to capitalize on an untapped market by offering something unprecedented: dental floss so affordable that it amounted only to a fraction of a worker’s hourly wage.
Refinements continued to be made over the next four decades. But, with silk desperately needed to manufacture parachutes in World War II, Johnson & Johnson switched to nylon as a substitute in 1941. The new material proved so effective with its consistent texture and resistance to shredding that the company continued its use after the war.
Unlike when Johnson & Johnson began to mass produce dental floss 125 years ago, consumers can now find this product in waxed and unwaxed form, in different textures such as spongy floss and soft floss, and even in multiple flavors that would have astounded and even delighted early users.
But its functions—to go where brushes can’t reach, disrupt plaque formation, and reduce the chance of tooth decay and gum disease—remain the same.
Still, despite dental professionals’ attempts to educate patients about these uses and material enhancements, many people do not floss as much as they should: a 2023 survey by the Delta Dental Plans Association showed that slightly less than one-third (31%) of respondents reported that they flossed the recommended once per day.
Unlike the snaggle-toothed, dentally challenged “international man of mystery” Austin Powers, ordinary people can’t unspool several feet of unused dental floss to escape a trap set by Dr. Evil. But the advantages of this form of oral hygiene are real: it’s low-cost, it’s gotten better over time, and it works.
