Our Commitment to Sustainable Dental Care
As a mother and physician, I reached out to friends in the dental professional community, product developers in green-products and social entrepreneurs. We share a sense of frustration—and urgency. Two deeply interconnected problems weighed heavily on me.
First, over 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away every year in the U.S. alone. Globally, that number soars to over 3 billion, with the vast majority ending up in landfills, oceans, and waterways, polluting ecosystems for hundreds of years. The modern toothbrush, once seen as a symbol of hygiene and progress, had become a hidden but potent environmental hazard.
Second, more than 3.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic dental care, including something as simple and essential as a toothbrush. This gap in oral hygiene contributes to preventable pain, disease, tooth loss, missed school days, and lost productivity at work. For many, untreated dental problems evolve into serious health complications—and even early death.
It was this dual crisis—waste on one end, and want on the other—that sparked the idea for Solso dental care company.
A Dual Mission
The founding team asked a bold question: What if we could turn the problem into the solution?
What if we could take toothbrushes out of landfills—and put them into the hands of people who need them most?
They envisioned a closed-loop, sustainable ecosystem: toothbrushes designed from biodegradable or fully recyclable materials or biodegradable material like bamboo, paired with a global recovery program that transforms waste into opportunity. For every brush purchased in the developed world, a brush or dental care kit would be distributed in underserved communities around the globe.
But they went further. Recognizing that solving oral health disparities requires more than toothbrushes, Solso will be partnering with NGOs, schools, and clinics to integrate dental education and preventive care into its mission—empowering children and families with the knowledge to protect their own health.
