TY - JOUR ID - TI - Bacteriological Study on Tooth Brushes AU - Eman A Mustafa PY - 2009 VL - 9 IS - 2 SP - 268 EP - 272 JO - Al-Rafidain Dental Journal مجلة الرافدين لطب الأسنان SN - 18121217 19980345 AB - Aims: To determine if the tooth brushes in a regular use can become contaminated with microorganisms
and to investigate if the microorganisms were present with a packaged brushes. Materials and
methods: Thirty synthetic tooth brushes were used in this study. Ten adults each was supplied with
new tooth brush of the same type and brand together with identical tubes of fluoridated tooth paste.
After three weeks, subjects were requested to follow their normal hygiene practices, twenty new tooth
brushes from two manufacturers were also enrolled in this study. All brushes were collected, decapitated
and cultured in different culture media to identify aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms present
in each tooth brush. Results: The result showed that various microorganisms can grow on used tooth
brushes, Staphylococcus epidermidis were isolated from all used tooth brushes except one, α hemolytic
Streptococci, yeasts (Candida albicans), Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli were
isolated from 70%, 60%, 50%, 30% and 20% of the used brushes respectively. Proteus spp. and Enterobacter
spp. were isolated from 10% of tooth brushes while Corynebacteria, Aerococci and Moraxella
catarrhalis were isolated from 40% of used tooth brushes. Anaerobic bacteria (Peptococcus spp., Veillonella
spp. and Peptostreptococcus spp.) were isolated from 30%, 20% and 10% of the used brushes
respectively. Eleven from twenty unused brushes were contaminated; while other nine were apparently
bacteria free. Conclusions: It is concluded that used tooth brushes were found to harbour microorganisms
and it cannot be determined whether or not the brushes were contaminated when new.

ER -