EFFICACY OF DOMESTIC TECHNIQUES FOR CONTAMINATED TOOTHBRUSHES DISINFECTION

Abstract: Objective: Determine the effectiveness of three domestic techniques for disinfecting toothbrushes. Methods: In vitro study applied to a calculated sample of 76 toothbrushes contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis (Ef) ATCC® 29212™ subjected to disinfection protocols: G0. distilled water (negative control) (n=8), G1. 10% dimethylsulfoxide (negative control) (n=8), G2. 0.12% chlorhexidine (positive control) (n=15), G3. 100% white vinegar (n=15), G4. microwave at 700 w (n=15) and G5. alcoholic extract of certified Arequipa purple garlic (Allium sativum L) at 200 mg/ml (n=15). The bacterial count was assessed by colony-forming units (CFU/ml) categorized into contamination: low (<30), medium (30-300) and high (>300). The Kruskal-Wallis test with pairwise post-hoc was used at a significance level of P<0.05. Results: Efficacy against Ef showed highly significant differences between groups (P=0.000) with lower median CFU/ml in chlorhexidine and vinegar (0 [RQI]: low) and microwave (6000 [45000]: low) compared to controls negative (378500-5020000 [4605000-6760000]: medium-high) (P<0.019). Microwave efficacy was lower than chlorhexidine and vinegar (P≤0.19), but similar to garlic [1510000 [590000]: medium) (P=0.822), while garlic was not superior to negative controls (P≥ 0.05). Conclusions: Disinfection of toothbrushes with vinegar and microwaves generated an effective reduction in Enterococcus faecalis counts comparable to chlorhexidine.