Method: Cotton swabs soaked in sterile saline were used to sample computer keyboards at either a dental school or traditional (non-clinical) undergraduate university. Bacteria were cultured on trypticase soy agar and replica plates were made on agar containing selected antibiotics, including ampicillin, cefotaxime, erythromycin, and sulfamethoxazole. The relative abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from each environment was calculated.
Result: A greater proportion of bacteria isolated from keyboards in a dental school environment was resistant to sulfamethoxazole when compared to bacteria from a traditional undergraduate educational environment.
Conclusion: Keyboards from dental environments can be colonized by antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. These bacteria could lead to antibiotic-resistant nosocomial infections if proper precautions are not taken. Our study underscores the importance of proper hand-hygiene and infection control practices in the safe provision of dental care.