IADR Abstract Archives
A Systematic Review on Toothbrush Contamination - Overlooked oral health concern
Objectives: The present systematic review was conducted to give an overview on toothbrush contamination among the general population and the factors affecting toothbrush contamination with an evidence-based approach.
Methods: Four major health science databases: Medline (Pub Med), CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, and Dentistry and Oral Health sciences Source were searched for the results after applying the search strategy from 2012 January to 2022 May following inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data were collected using a self-made data collection form on study characteristics, population attributes, and the main features including the outcomes of the study.
The methodological quality of the included studies was independently evaluated based on Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for cross-sectional studies and the Risk of biasness tool-1 (Rob-1) for randomized controlled trials. The "Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation'' (GRADE) was used to determine the level of certainty of evidence.
Results: Of the 687 studies screened by title and abstract, 27 articles were selected for the full-text assessment using the EndNote reference program: (Ver. X9.2). From these, 15 fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Among the selected studies, 8 studies were randomized controlled trials, 6 were cross-sectional studies, and the remaining one was an in-vitro experimental study.
The studies reporting in favor of charcoal bristles toothbrushes and show significant (p value < 0.05) decrease in the CFU contamination compared to non-charcoal bristles brushes.The GRADE assessment highlights the findings from included studies. The evidence found was of moderate quality in both RCTs and observational studies.
Conclusions: All the included studies show contamination on toothbrushes even if brushes are kept under appropriate storage conditions. The rate of contamination and the microbes vary from study to study. This shows the importance of decontamination protocols following toothbrushing and/or the use of brushes with antimicrobial properties in limiting contamination.
Methods: Four major health science databases: Medline (Pub Med), CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, and Dentistry and Oral Health sciences Source were searched for the results after applying the search strategy from 2012 January to 2022 May following inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data were collected using a self-made data collection form on study characteristics, population attributes, and the main features including the outcomes of the study.
The methodological quality of the included studies was independently evaluated based on Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for cross-sectional studies and the Risk of biasness tool-1 (Rob-1) for randomized controlled trials. The "Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation'' (GRADE) was used to determine the level of certainty of evidence.
Results: Of the 687 studies screened by title and abstract, 27 articles were selected for the full-text assessment using the EndNote reference program: (Ver. X9.2). From these, 15 fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Among the selected studies, 8 studies were randomized controlled trials, 6 were cross-sectional studies, and the remaining one was an in-vitro experimental study.
The studies reporting in favor of charcoal bristles toothbrushes and show significant (p value < 0.05) decrease in the CFU contamination compared to non-charcoal bristles brushes.The GRADE assessment highlights the findings from included studies. The evidence found was of moderate quality in both RCTs and observational studies.
Conclusions: All the included studies show contamination on toothbrushes even if brushes are kept under appropriate storage conditions. The rate of contamination and the microbes vary from study to study. This shows the importance of decontamination protocols following toothbrushing and/or the use of brushes with antimicrobial properties in limiting contamination.
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