systemic review for dental medicine – Cheap Research Essays

what microbes can be found within toothbrushes bristles to find out how different disinfecting methods affect the microbial flora of the toothbrush what are the best methods of preventing contamination = systemic review for dental medicine ( writer title)

Toothbrushes play an essential role in oral hygiene. But on the other hand it may play a significant role in disease transmission and increase the risk of infection since it can embrace hundreds of different microbes

. Some microbes comes from the oral cavity, while some others are environmental microorganisms which can include important opportunistic pathogens not normally found in the mouth, as well as viruses such as hepatitis C, or can come from the fecal matter.

Fecal matter contamination comes from the flushing action of the toilet as water splashes fly through the air contaminating everything around. And microbiologically fecal matter is the collective normal flora of people that live in same area where they share a lot of hygienic tools and facilities like beds and bathrooms. According to the research conducted in American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans, LA, more than 60% of the toothbrush collected from student’s shared bathrooms tested positive for presence of fecal matter which contains bacteria, viruses or parasites that are not part of your normal flora. They also stated that the toothbrush might be contaminated with someone else’s fecal matter .

In a research conducted by Paulo Nelson from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, showed that contaminated bristles may play an important role in the transmission and inoculation of the contaminating microorganisms through abrasions of the gingiva, as well as through existing lesions.

Depending upon storage conditions, the toothbrush can serve as a reservoir for the reintroduction of potential pathogens, such as mutans streptococci. And can be a source, or a vector for transmission or re-infection of diseases such as herpes or periodontopathogenic microorganisms and coliforms from the bathroom environment. Various studies have reported toothbrush contamination and recommended methods of disinfection. One product manufacturer calls a toothbrush a magnet for germs that becomes a thriving breeding ground the minute you set it down. Most disinfection products are countertop devices that use ultraviolet light or steam and dry heat, and touted to kill 99.9% of germs. While company studies show that these products do eliminate germs, there’s no evidence they prevent illness. This brings us to a need for easily implemented disinfection methods that are efficient, cost-effective, rapid, nontoxic and suitable for a wide range of materials.

Our aim is (1) to investigate what microbes can be found within toothbrushes bristles stored in the bathroom, (2) to find out how different disinfecting methods affect the microbial flora of the toothbrush, (3) and what are the best methods of preventing the contamination of the toothbrush.

Methodology:

A systematic review of scientific literature was conducted. Articles on human subjects and using English language, which were published from 1994-2014 were obtained. The review comprised studies that assessed microbial contamination of the toothbrush in healthy and orally diseased patients, advices for toothbrush and oral care and methods for reducing toothbrush contamination. Designs used for the reviews encompassed both experimental and non-experimental. The databases searched to obtain the reviews are as follows: Wiley, Pro Quest, Pub Med, NCBI, Science Direct and EBSCO HOST. The keywords used to search for the reviews were toothbrush, tooth brushing, bacterial contamination, colonization, oral health, oral hygiene, microbial contamination, adults, adolescents, and child. The search strategy was verified by health sciences librarian. The search was conducted by all the group members in an orderly fashion using the inclusion and exclusion conditions. The articles that met the inclusion criteria were for additional review (Table 1). Articles were excluded if they did not meet the inclusion criteria as they were imitations from other databases, or only focused on antibacterial methods.