Driving toothbrush innovation through a cross-functional development team

A cross-functional team was assembled to take on the project of developing a toothbrush that could deliver a "whole mouth clean." As such, this brush needed to not only demonstrate superior plaque removal from teeth, it also needed to provide a means for safe cleaning of soft oral tissues. During use, the brush needed to be comfortable both in hand and in mouth, and it required contemporary esthetics to help drive consumer acceptance. This article will take the reader through the full development cycle of the new toothbrush, identifying the proposed benefit of each brush feature along the way. Where appropriate, care was taken to identify the specific insights leading to the development of several new features not previously seen in commercial toothbrushes. This article also will attempt to demonstrate the value of forming new product development teams with representatives of multiple functional areas, including marketing, product development, advanced technology, clinical, engineering, and manufacturing.