Microbial Contamination of Tooth Paste Tube Orifice

Introduction: Tooth brushes are a vital component of routine oral hygiene aids used in promotion of oral health and prevention of oral diseases. Unfortunately, they are often stored in unsanitary conditions such as bathrooms. These unsanitary conditions are the settings that harbour millions of different pathogenic microbes.

Objective: To determine the microbial contamination of used toothpaste tube orifice.

Method: Sealed tooth brush and tooth paste tube were given to individual participants and to the families. Toothpaste tubes were collected from each family and from individuals after 30 days of usage. Microbiological samples were collected from the toothpaste orifice using sterile cotton swab. Organisms from swabs were cultured on selective media (nutrient agar) for the identification of certain groups of microorganisms. Colony Forming Units (CFU) was calculated using CFU counting unit. Gram staining was done to find out the nature and character of the organisms.

Results: A Clinical In-vitro study, the mean number of colony forming units was 246.6 ± 305.73 among single user and 709.5 ± 492.61 among multiple users as shown in Table 1. The distribution of microorganism CFU (Colony Forming Units) among single user and multiple users was found to be statistically significant (p=0.021).

Conclusion: In the present study, it was found that toothpaste tube can also be the possible source for potential pathogens that can compromise not only the health of the individual but also the individuals using the same toothpaste tube.