PRACTICES OF TOOTH BRUSH DISINFECTION AMONG THE STUDENTS AND INTERNS IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: Objective: Toothbrush plays a key role in the cleaning of the oral cavity, and maintaining oral hygiene. Contamination of toothbrushes occurs early after initial use and increases with repetitive use. Toothbrush disinfection can prevent from many oral and systemic diseases. The objective of the study was to determine the knowledge and practice of dental students and house officers regarding toothbrush disinfection in a dental teaching hospital of Karachi. Study Design: A cross sectional study was conducted among the dental students and house officers of Baqai dental college, Karachi. Dental students of all four years and all house officers were included in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data about the toothbrush disinfection knowledge, attitude and practice. Data was analyzed in SPSS version 22. Setting: Baqai dental college, Karachi. Period: Mar 2019 to May 2019. Material and Method: A total of 254 participants were included in the study, 50 house officers and 202 students. Results: Male 35.3 % (n=89) and female 64.7 % (n=163) participated in the study. Majority of the participants i.e. 56.7% (n=143) had no knowledge about toothbrush disinfection and 80.2% (n=202) participants responded that toothbrush disinfection was not necessary 26.6% (n=65) were disinfecting their toothbrush. Conclusion: People are still not aware of the importance of toothbrush disinfection and its role in the prevention from oral and systemic diseases. A dentist is responsible for instructing their patients about the maintenance of oral health; therefore, for the clinical acceptance of toothbrush disinfection more awareness among the dentists and dental students is required so that they can spread the message to their patients.