Bacterial Contamination of the Toothbrushes
Journal
Journal of International Dental and Medical Research
Date Issued
2016-03
Author(s)
Maja Pandilova
Silvana Georgieva
Ivana Pop Janeva
Filip Koneski
Abstract
Toothbrushes are an environment for transfer of microbes, their retention and growth. The aim
of the study was to evaluate the bacterial contamination of toothbrushes during everyday use in the
periodontal healthy student population and to record the way of maintaining the toothbrush and the
time and the reason for their replacement with new ones. The research included 20 students of
both sexes, with a healthy periodontium, who filled out a special questionnaire and got a new
toothbrush for everyday use in one month period. After the test period, toothbrushes were
transported in sterile conditions at the Institute of Microbiology of the Medical Faculty in Skopje and
further processed. The total number of bacteria in each plate was determined and larger colonies
identified by the method of Gram and other biochemical tests. The microbiological findings showed
a high contamination of the used toothbrushes at 100% of the analyzed samples, with a domination
of coliform bacilli (Escherichia coli-40%, Klebsiella-25%, Enterobacter cloacae-5%, Serratia-15%)
and Pseudomonas aeruginosa -15%. Toothbrushes became highly contaminated after everyday
use and can be carriers of microorganisms, increasing the risk of diseases caused by oral biofilm in
healthy people.
of the study was to evaluate the bacterial contamination of toothbrushes during everyday use in the
periodontal healthy student population and to record the way of maintaining the toothbrush and the
time and the reason for their replacement with new ones. The research included 20 students of
both sexes, with a healthy periodontium, who filled out a special questionnaire and got a new
toothbrush for everyday use in one month period. After the test period, toothbrushes were
transported in sterile conditions at the Institute of Microbiology of the Medical Faculty in Skopje and
further processed. The total number of bacteria in each plate was determined and larger colonies
identified by the method of Gram and other biochemical tests. The microbiological findings showed
a high contamination of the used toothbrushes at 100% of the analyzed samples, with a domination
of coliform bacilli (Escherichia coli-40%, Klebsiella-25%, Enterobacter cloacae-5%, Serratia-15%)
and Pseudomonas aeruginosa -15%. Toothbrushes became highly contaminated after everyday
use and can be carriers of microorganisms, increasing the risk of diseases caused by oral biofilm in
healthy people.
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