Joseph Charles Muhler (December 22, 1923 – December 24, 1996) was an American biochemist and dentist who was responsible for the development of

Crest Toothpaste Crest is an American brand of toothpaste and other oral hygiene products made by American multinational Procter & Gamble (P&G) and sold worldwide. In many countries in Europe, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, ...

Early life and education

Muhler was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

from 1942 to 1944 until he was drafted into the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

. He returned to Indiana University as a dental student through the support of the Navy. In 1948, he received his D.D.S and in 1951, he received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in chemistry. He joined the IU faculty in 1951 as an assistant professor. In 1978, he was named research professor of dental science and director of the dentistry's research institute. While at Indiana University, he assisted in the development of the school's first preventative dentistry program until his retirement in 1984.

Crest Toothpaste

Muhler was a biochemist who led a team at Indiana University that came up with the original formula for Crest Toothpaste. He studied over 150 fluoride compounds for the purpose of finding a compound that protected teeth from cavities and decay. With help from Harry G. Day, Grant Van Huysen, and William H. Nebergall, he found that stannous fluoride was a very effective compound for protecting teeth. After years of studies, they found stannous fluoride to be 50% more effective than sodium fluoride.

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

was impressed with their research and decided to underwrite their formula and sell it as

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

Toothpaste in 1956. Crest Toothpaste became the first toothpaste to earn the

American Dental Association The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's ...

(ADA) endorsement. Muhler and his team received royalties from Procter & Gamble which they used to help establish the Oral Health Research Institute at Indiana.

Accomplishments

In 1976, the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

(ACS) recognized stannous fluoride toothpaste as one of the 100 greatest discoveries of the previous 100 years. Muhler died on December 24, 1996, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 2019, 23 years after his death, both he and William H. Nebergall were elected into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhler, Joseph C. 1923 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American biochemists People from Fort Wayne, Indiana Indiana University alumni Scientists from Indiana Indiana University faculty American dentists American dentistry academics 20th-century dentists United States Navy personnel of World War II