Since the mouth contains bacteria and the bathroom where tooth brushes are mostly kept also harbours these germs, one wonders if the toothbrush stays clean enough with just a rinse after brushing.
There’s also a growing body of research linking unhygienic tooth brushing to a number of life-threatening conditions such as heart disease and stroke, as well as several chronic health problems, including arthritis.
Independent studies prove that toothbrush sterilisers may eliminate up to 99.9 per cent of microorganisms that thrive on the toothbrush. But Indian researchers’ investigation revealed that dental disinfectants such as chlorhexidine gluconate, sodium hypochlorite (bleach solution) and water have different effectiveness.
The impact of these disinfectants on the toothbrushes of 21 children aged between five and 12 were evaluated after five consecutive days of twice daily tooth brushing.
The final analyses showed that treatment with chlorhexidine resulted in a 100 per cent reduction of streptococci colonies, while sodium hypochlorite reduced the micro-organisms by 71 per cent. In contrast, the toothbrushes that were immersed in water only showed a 14 per cent reduction in streptococci colonies.
The study, titled “Contaminated tooth brushes—potential threat to oral and general health”, was published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
Moreover, researchers have noted that other antimicrobial solutions, such as products of the neem plant or salt, might be economical, non-toxic and easy-to-use alternatives worth testing for their disinfectant properties.
In a new study, researchers found that neem, garlic, and green tea are equally efficacious as chlorhexidine mouthwash and these herbal products can be used as potent alternatives to chlorhexidine mouthwash as disinfectant for toothbrushes.
The 2016, findings which compared the efficacy of these herbal disinfectants with chlorhexidine mouthwash on decontamination of toothbrushes was published in the Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry.
The comparative experimental trial was conducted among 75 randomly selected boys aged between 18 and 21 years that were divided into five groups.
They were provided with a new set of precoded toothbrushes and nonfluoridated tooth pastes. After 14 days of tooth brushing, the toothbrushes were immersed in these antimicrobial solutions for 12 hours and then checked for the presence of Streptococcus mutans.
These toothbrush disinfectants were three per cent neem, garlic of concentration 4.15 mg/mL and green tea of concentration 40 mg/mL with 0.2 per cent chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Subjects using antibiotics or antiseptic mouth washes for at least three months prior to the study, undergoing any dental treatment, medically compromised (e.g., in diabetic patients) and subjects using neem, garlic, green tea, chlorhexidine, and fluoride in any form as an oral hygiene aid were excluded from the study.
In the study, all test solutions showed a significant reduction of Streptococcus mutans count. There was no statistical difference between the efficacies of neem, garlic, and green tea when compared with chlorhexidine mouthwash.
In the present investigation, garlic showed the maximum reduction in the Streptococcus mutans count. It produced 96 per cent reduction followed by chlorhexidine (92 per cent), neem (88 per cent), and green tea (83 per cent). Distilled water showed only a 2.2 per cent reduction.
In the report, they concluded “the present investigation showed that immersion of toothbrush for 12 hours in three per cent neem, garlic of concentration 4.15 mg/mL, and green tea of concentration 40 mg/mL were as efficacious as 0.2 per cent chlorhexidine for disinfection. So neem, garlic, and green tea can be used at par with chlorhexidine as a disinfectant for toothbrush.”
Neem possesses various medicinal properties, and is widely available in most rural and urban areas of developing countries. Also, the antibacterial activity of garlic is due to the presence of allicin.
Previously, researchers had reported that mouthwash containing garlic could be used for the prevention of dental caries. But, it has side effects such as unpleasant taste, halitosis, and nausea.
Green tea’s chemical constituents have demonstrated significant antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial properties in numerous studies.
To keep the toothbrushes clean and free from germs, here are a few basic methods to sanitise the toothbrush:
- After each use, rinse the toothbrush thoroughly with water after to remove any residual toothpaste and other remains.
- Store the toothbrush in an upright position and let it to air dry after each use. If storing multiple brushes, leave gaps between toothbrushes to prevent germs from spreading from one toothbrush to another.
- To kill germs, fill a cup with an antibacterial mouth wash and place the toothbrush, bristle side down, for a few minutes.
- Replace toothbrush every three months. Inspect the brush regularly for signs of tattered bristles, which can render the toothbrush inadequately equipped to clean the teeth.
- Never share toothbrush with anybody else, not even with one’s spouse.