Knowledge and behavior of dentists in a dental school regarding toothbrush disinfection

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and behavior of dentists regarding toothbrush disinfection. This study included 147 dentists (88 women and 59 men) who were actively employed at a dental school in Ankara, Turkey. Participants were asked to fill out a standard questionnaire, which contained questions regarding their demographics, brushing habits, toothbrush storage and disinfection habits, toothpaste use, knowledge about toothbrush disinfection, and whether they advised their patients about toothbrush storage. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and statistical analyses were performed with t-tests, chi-squared tests, and Fisher exact tests, where appropriate. Among the 147 surveyed dentists, 62.6% and 85.7% reported that they did not have any knowledge about toothbrush disinfection and did not disinfect their toothbrushes, respectively. However, approximately two thirds of surveyed dentists thought that toothbrush disinfection should be performed by everyone, including healthy individuals. Significant associations were found between knowledge about toothbrush disinfection and the professional title of dentists, how they stored their toothbrushes, and whether their toothbrushes were in contact with each other during storage (p < 0.05). A minority of dentists reported that they disinfected their toothbrushes.

Presence of Bacteria With Pathogenic Potential Among Already-Used Toothbrushes From University Students

“…From Table 1, majority of the students (53.75%) preferred storing their toothbrushes in the bedroom to anywhere else. This does not tally with the findings of a similar study that indicated 53.1% of Turkish dentists preferring to store their oral hygiene aid in the bathroom to anywhere else [13]. This may depend on whether the individual takes his/ her breakfast before or after bath.…”

Self-Reported Halitosis in relation to Oral Hygiene Practices, Oral Health Status, General Health Problems, and Multifactorial Characteristics among Workers in Ilala and Temeke Municipals, Tanzania

“…The toothbrush has a significant role to reintroduce microorganisms into the oral cavity [ 27 , 28 ]. Since it is not feasible to change the toothbrush every day, it is recommended as a sound practice to change the toothbrush at least after every three months [ 29 ].…”

Is oral hygiene as important as hand hygiene during COVID-19 pandemic?

“…It is seen that the majority of people just rinse the brushes with plain water and then dry it to prevent contamination with potential disease-producing bacteria fungi and viruses. [32,33] In a survey-based study conducted by Peker et al [34] to assess knowledge of toothbrush hygiene among dental students, 62.6% of the respondents reported that they did not know about toothbrush disinfection and did not disinfect their toothbrushes. It is advisable to dip the toothbrushes into an antiseptic mouthwash a few minutes after rinsing with water after each use.…”