Oral health: Charcoal brushes

Antimicrobial efficacy of charcoal vs. non-charcoal toothbrushes: A randomized controlled study

“…[ 7 ] Most studies show a degree of effectiveness when immersing the toothbrush in some kind of disinfectant material. [ 8 ] Instead of the standard nylon/synthetic bristles, which simply sweeps and captures debris and bacteria, the bristles are infused with charcoal. [ 8 ] When the charcoal is embedded in these new brushes, the manufacturers claim that the blending of charcoal into the nylon bristles can prevent or reduce the amount of contamination, reduce halitosis, and kill bacteria due to antimicrobial properties.…”

“…[ 8 ] Instead of the standard nylon/synthetic bristles, which simply sweeps and captures debris and bacteria, the bristles are infused with charcoal. [ 8 ] When the charcoal is embedded in these new brushes, the manufacturers claim that the blending of charcoal into the nylon bristles can prevent or reduce the amount of contamination, reduce halitosis, and kill bacteria due to antimicrobial properties. [ 8 ] However, no scientific evidence has yet been provided to back or support these claims.…”

“…[ 8 ] When the charcoal is embedded in these new brushes, the manufacturers claim that the blending of charcoal into the nylon bristles can prevent or reduce the amount of contamination, reduce halitosis, and kill bacteria due to antimicrobial properties. [ 8 ] However, no scientific evidence has yet been provided to back or support these claims. Our study aims to assess the efficacy of the antimicrobial properties and the level of bacterial contamination in the oral cavity using charcoal toothbrushes in comparison with non-charcoal toothbrushes.…”

Comparison of bacterial contamination and antibacterial efficacy in bristles of charcoal toothbrushes versus noncharcoal toothbrushes: A microbiological study

“…A new variant of toothbrushes, charcoal toothbrushes, has been introduced into the market; these toothbrushes are popular in South-East Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. [ 18 ] Bristles of charcoal toothbrushes are black in color and are prepared by blending binchotan charcoal into nylon bristles. [ 18 ] Manufacturers of these toothbrushes claim that they have antimicrobial properties in them, resulting in less bacterial contamination.…”

“…[ 18 ] Bristles of charcoal toothbrushes are black in color and are prepared by blending binchotan charcoal into nylon bristles. [ 18 ] Manufacturers of these toothbrushes claim that they have antimicrobial properties in them, resulting in less bacterial contamination. Activated carbon has proven to remove bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli from fresh and potable water systems (Percival and Walker, 1999; Quinlivan et al ., 2005).…”