Assessment of microbial contamination of toothbrush head: An in vitro study.

Background: The most common oral hygiene aid used to improve the oral health of an individual is toothbrush and it is often neglected to maintain in a proper aseptic condition, which could probably result in contamination by various micro-organisms. Aims: 1) To assess the microbial contamination of the hard deposit on the toothbrush head, between the bristle tufts, after 1 and 3 months of use. 2) To assess the microbial contamination of the hard deposit on the toothbrush head, between the bristle tufts, which were kept in the bathrooms with and without attached toilet. Setting and Design: An in vitro study. Materials and Methods: Twenty toothbrushes kept in the bathrooms with an attached toilet and 20 toothbrushes kept in the bathrooms without an attached toilet were collected from the participants, making it a total of 40. Among these 20 toothbrushes in each group, 10 were used for 1 month duration and 10 were used for 3 months duration. Results: Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Klebsiella, Candida species were isolated in 1 month and 3 months used toothbrushes kept in the bathrooms without attached toilet. Escherichia coli was found in 3 months used toothbrushes kept in the bathrooms with attached toilet. Micro-organisms were found in isolated form in toothbrushes used for 1 month, whereas in toothbrushes used for 3 months they are found in clumps. Conclusion: Hard deposit on the toothbrush head between bristle tufts is a nidus for growth of micro-organisms, which not only affects the oral health but also affects the general health of an individual.

Toothbrush contamination in family members

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the bacterial contamination of toothbrushes in family members. Materials and Methods: One hundred and two healthy subjects were included in this descriptive study. Every individual was examined clinically and microbiologically using the CPITN index and collecting subgingival plaque samples. Each participant received a toothbrush for home use and after one month they returned it to the investigators. All toothbrushes were cultured to determine the presence of periodontopathic bacteria and enteric rods. Wilkoxon signed rank test and t student test (P d"0.05) were used to compare differences in the subgingival microbiota and toothbrush contamination and CPITN index among family members. Results: A high proportion of toothbrushes resulted highly contaminated with enteric rods (P d"0.001) compared to the subgingival environment where periodontopathic bacteria were more prevalent. The most frequent microorganisms found in toothbrushes used by parents and children for one month were Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae species (>50 percent) and Fusobacterium spp (30 percent). Conclusions: High levels of enteric rods were commonly detected in toothbrushes used for 1 month among members of the families. These opportunistic organisms may have an important role in oral infections including gingivitis and periodontitis. Monthly replacement or disinfection of the toothbrush can reduce the risk of bacterial transmission/translocation and thus diminish the incidence of biofilm associated oral diseases.

Contaminación bacteriana de cepillos dentales en niños y sus padres: una cuestión de educación / Bacterial contamination of toothbrushes in children and their parents: an education issue

Se ha determinado que los instrumentos dentales y de higiene oral puedan contribuir en la transmisión de microorganismos que causan infecciones orales. Se estudió la contaminación bacteriana de cepillos dentales en 104 sujetos de 40 grupos familiares (16 padres, 40 madres y 48 niños). Se tomaron muestras subgingivales al inicio del estudio y fueron analizadas por medio de cultivo no selectivo y selectivo para organismos periodontopáticos y bacilos entéricos. Los pacientes fueron examinados usando el índice CPITN para establecer el grado salud periodontal. Cada padre de familia recibió un cepillo dental y crema dental para uso personal durante un mes en su hogar, mientras que los niños recibieron un cepillo que fue utilizado con crema dental en la cita de examinación y otro para uso durante un mes. Los cepillos y muestras subgingivales fueron recolectados y analizados para la presencia de microorganismos periodontopáticos y bacilos entéricos. La información fue analizada usando pruebas estadísticas de Wilkoxon signed rank test y Friedman test (P = 0,05). Los cepillos dentales de la mayoría de sujetos resultaron altamente contaminados con bacilos entéricos gram negativos comparado con el ambiente subgingival en donde fueron mas frecuentes los microorganismos periodontopáticos. Los microorganismos mas frecuentes en cepillos dentales de padres y niños fueron los bacilos entéricos gram negativos (55%) seguidos por Fuso-bacterium sp (30%). Se concluyó que los cepillos dentales de los grupos familiares después de un mes de uso albergan altos niveles de bacilos entéricos gram negativos. Esta contaminación de los cepillos puede representar un factor de riesgo en la transmisión de microorganismos superinfectantes y periodontopáticos implicados en el inicio de procesos infecciosos en la cavidad oral, incluyendo gingivitis y periodontitis.

Toothbrush contamination could facilitate transmission/translocation of pathogenic organisms between individuals and oral sites. The purpose of this study was to determine the bacterial contamination of toothbrushes in 40 families. One hundred and four healthy subjects were included in this descriptive study. Every individual was examined clinically and microbiologically using the CPITN index and collecting subgingival plaque samples. Each parent received a toothbrush for home use and after one month they returned it to the investigators. Children received two toothbrushes, one used during the first examination and the other for home use which was returned after 1 month. All toothbrushes were cultured to determine periodontopathogens and enteric rods. Wilkoxon signed rank test and Friedman test (P = 0.05) were used to compare differences in the subgingival microbiota and toothbrush contamination among family members. Toothbrushes of most subjects resulted highly contaminated with enteric rods (P=0.001) compared to the subgingival environment where periodontopathic bacteria were more prevalent. The most frequent microorganisms found in toothbrushes used by parents and children for one month were. Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae species (55%) and Fuso-bacterium species (30%). High levels of enteric rods were commonly detected in toothbrushes used for 1 month among families members. These opportunistic organisms may have an important role in oral infections including gingivitis and periodontitis.