Waterless toothbrush makes big splash

NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A toothbrush that uses no water for rinsing will be unveiled by a New York City councilman at a dental convention, officials said.

Councilman Joel Rivera, chairman of New York City's Health Committee, said in 2006 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the average citizen wasted 2 gallons of water daily as part of brushing teeth and oral hygiene.

The annual Greater New York Dental Meeting and Convention of some 57,000 healthcare professionals is being held at the Jacob Javitz Center. Rivera and environmentalist are scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday.

More than 100,000 of the new toothbrushes will be handed out to local school children in New York City and Long Island in the upcoming months to conserve more than 2 million gallons of water from local residents a day, Rivera said.

The Aqua Free Tooth brush -- www.aquafreetoothbrush.com -- is being produced by United Treatment Centers Inc., a Big Apple company with offices in Manhattan, Queens and Long Island and is the brain child of local entrepreneurs and health professionals, Todd Spinelli and Frank Ottaviani.

More than 2 billion people in the world don't have access to sanitary water and the Aqua Free Tooth Brush could provide a healthy alternative as well as contribute to the well being of others in which water conservation is mandatory, Spinelli and Ottaviani said.