Abstract
Abstract Introduction Methods of decontamination or sanitization of toothbrushes have been questioned. Objective This study assessed the effectiveness of pomegranate peels infusion as a disinfectant of toothbrushes against Streptococcus mutans. Material and method A sample of 16 schoolchildren aged between 7 and 9 years performed brushing 5 days/week, with a careful brushing once a day. After each day of brushing, the toothbrushes were washed and sprayed with one disinfectant solution. This procedure was repeated for 4 weeks using one of the different solutions per week: distilled water (G1; negative control), pomegranate (Punica granatum Linn) peels infusion (G2), 1% sodium hypochlorite (G3) and 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate (G4). After the fifth day, toothbrushes were collected for laboratory analysis. Toothbrushes heads were subjected to agitation in saline dilution of 10–1, 10–2,10–3, and 25 μL of each dilution were seeded in mitis salivarius agar culture medium for S. mutans colony-forming unit (CFU) counting. One calibrated examiner (Kappa = 0.91) performed the CFU (mL–1 × 104) counts. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn Multiple Comparison tests were used at a significance level of 5%. Result G1 presented the highest number of CFU (3.9 ± 8.4), followed by G2 (3.2 ± 4.0). No S. mutans growth was observed in G3 and G4. There was no statistically significant difference between G1 and G2 and between G3 and G4 (p>0.05). Conclusion Pomegranate infusion was completely ineffective for the disinfection of toothbrushes against S. mutans when compared with 1% sodium hypochlorite and 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate solutions.
Highlights
MATERIAL AND METHODThe toothbrush is the most effective tool to remove dental biofilm. The mechanical action of its bristles on the tooth surfaces promotes breakdown and removal of microorganisms adhered to these surfaces, enabling the maintenance of a healthy oral microbiota
Methods of decontamination or sanitization of toothbrushes have been questioned
The mechanical action of its bristles on the tooth surfaces promotes breakdown and removal of microorganisms adhered to these surfaces, enabling the maintenance of a healthy oral microbiota
Summary
The toothbrush is the most effective tool to remove dental biofilm. The mechanical action of its bristles on the tooth surfaces promotes breakdown and removal of microorganisms adhered to these surfaces, enabling the maintenance of a healthy oral microbiota. The aim of this comparative study was to assess the effectiveness of pomegranate peels infusion as a toothbrush disinfectant against S. mutans. The null hypothesis is that there is no difference among the pomegranate peels infusion comparing to different solutions (1% sodium hypochlorite and 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate) for the disinfection of toothbrushes. After each day of brushing, the toothbrushes were washed and sprayed with one of the following solutions: distilled water (G1; negative control), pomegranate (Punica granatum Linn) peels infusion (G2), 1% sodium hypochlorite (G3) and 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate (G4). This procedure was repeated for 4 weeks using one of the different solutions per week. A single trained investigator performed the CFU counts, manually in a counter (Phoenix CP 608 , Phoenix Industry and Trade of Scientific Equipment Ltd., Araraquara – São Paulo, Brazil). Statistical test power for the sample size was calculated online using the website OpenEpi[18]
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