A YORK mum and market trader who has invented a new toothbrush for babies has scooped three industry awards as her product reaches a new market in the Far East.

BugBrush, designed and created by Rowena Johnson, has just been named Best New Product in the national Baby and Nursery Trade Awards (Banta).

The win cements a hat-trick of accolades for Ms Johnson, who was the winner of the Innovation Showcase at York technology exhibition Venturefest 2015, as well as being a finalist in the BQ Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

Alongside the award success, BugBrush is now heading for the Asian market as Ms Johnson has teamed up with distributors in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Eastern Europe, as well as winning a listing on global online seller Amazon.

Ms Johnson said: “I’ve always believed in this product and I’m delighted that its innovation is being recognised by these awards .

“I’ve had fantastic feedback from parents where BugBrush has helped them to ensure their children have been able to achieve good dental hygiene and prevent tooth decay.”

First-time inventor Ms Johnson created the BugBrush after growing frustrated when her daughter Saskia stubbornly refused to allow the brush end of her child’s toothbrush into her mouth, preferring instead to gnaw the rubber end, which she almost choked on.

Ms Johnson couldn’t find an alternative design and after eight years of market research, product development and testing, she launched the BugBrush.

Earlier this year her product went on sale in all 65 UK JoJo Maman Bébé stores, with further interest in Bugbrush from distributors in Spain, China and the USA.

Ms Johnson funded the development of BugBrush through her market stall business Peruvian Kids, which sells imported specialist hand-crafted children’s cardigans and toys from Peru.

A former physiotherapist, copywriter and market trader, Ms Johnson has invested more than £180,000 in bringing BugBrush to market and remains committed to solving the problem of infant tooth decay.

The BugBrush, which is a brightly coloured caterpillar-shaped toothbrush, has ten times more plaque removing bristles than standard baby toothbrushes, with more than 10,000 individual bristles and a double-sided symmetrical design to ensure both top and bottom teeth are cleaned simultaneously.

BugBrush has the backing of Professor Monty Duggal, head of Paediatric Dentistry at Leeds Dental Institute, a leading expert in tooth decay in children under five years, who has given his support in light of figures which reveal that every day 20 children under five years old have tooth extraction under general anaesthetic, costing the NHS about £2 million a year.