Introduction. Though using a toothbrush is essential for maintaining oral hygiene, it is also equally imperative to clean and store toothbrushes in appropriate places. The study aimed at assessing the toothbrush-cleansing habits of people and their awareness regarding the storage of toothbrushes. It also evaluates the frequency distribution of different types of micro-organisms for covered and uncovered toothbrushes as per different storage patterns. Materials and methods. An experimental survey-based study was carried at ”King Khalid” University College of Dentistry, Abha. 20 participants (age 18 to 25 years) were divided into 2 groups of 10 individuals each. One group was provided with uncovered toothbrushes, and the other – with covered toothbrushes. The toothbrushes were analyzed after three weeks of usage by inoculating the bristles on blood agar plates, a nutrient agar plate and Sabouraud dextrose agar plate. Moreover, a questionnaire survey was also conducted with the subjects. Data was analyzed by Pearson’s Chi-square and multinomial logistic regression method. Results and discussion. It was observed that the respondents who kept their toothbrushes covered were more likely to have microorganisms on their toothbrush-bristles, compared to those keeping their brushes uncovered. Conclusions. It was concluded that microorganisms were most prevalent in the covered toothbrushes, compared with the uncovered ones. Knowledge on the usage and storage of toothbrushes is of great significance for facilitating a good oral health among people.
Keywords:- covered toothbrush
- microbial contamination
- oral health
- storage