Microbial Contamination of Toothbrush Bristles among Gingivitis and Periodontitis: An in vitro study
Author(s): Saravanan and Sankari Malaiapan*
Abstract
Microbes survive in a wide variety of environments, including toothbrush bristles regardless where they are kept. Microbial contamination of toothbrush bristles occurs after the initial use and increases with repeated usage. The aim of the study was to quantify the microbial contamination of toothbrush bristles among gingivitis and periodontitis subjects. A total 10 subjects’ toothbrush bristles were collected and cultured. The total number of colony forming units after 24 hours ,Gingivitis group sample1 shows(1.02%),sample 2(0.75%),sample 3(0.95%), sample 4(1.49%) and sample 5(14.27%) and Periodontitis group sample 1(11.5%),sample 2(8.83%),sample 3(19.02%), sample 4(17.66%) and sample 5(24.46%). From the study it can be inferred that microbial contamination was higher in periodontitis patients' bristles than the gingivitis.