Sihainet: as the saying goes, diseases come from the mouth, which means that many diseases are spread through the mouth, so oral health has a great relationship with our health. However, there is a rumor on the Internet that: toothbrush is dirtier than toilet in three weeks, with a bacterial content of up to one million, which is 80 times of the bacterial content of toilet water!
Truth: compared with the cleanliness of toilet water, dishcloth water and coins, what's the use of toothbrush but disgusting? If it's to make people stop using toothbrush, it's a mistake. If it's to remind people to keep the toothbrush clean and replace it in time, it's really hard work.
The truth about toothbrush
There are hundreds of microbes in our mouth. When brushing your teeth, there may be some bacteria transferred to your toothbrush. When not in use, bacteria in the environment may also fall on the toothbrush. To say how many bacteria there are on toothbrush, different people, different storage environment, but the difference is big. Some studies [1] reported that the total number of living microorganisms on toothbrush was between 0 and 100 million, while some studies [2] reported that the number was between 10000 and 1 million. It can be seen that there are great differences in different situations.
There is no mistake in saying that there are bacteria on the toothbrush. There are also manufacturers developing products for toothbrush disinfection and antibacterial toothbrush. However, the current clinical evidence does not show that the microorganism on the toothbrush will have a great impact on oral health and human health. Our bodies are exposed to potentially dangerous microbial environments. Under normal circumstances, our bodies have mechanisms to fight these threats. Therefore, people are not necessarily sick when they are exposed to pathogenic microorganisms.
However, it is better to keep your toothbrush clean as much as possible. The rumor crusher investigator provides several suggestions from the American Dental Association [3]:
1. Do not share toothbrush with others. The exchange of body fluids and microbes between people sharing toothbrushes increases the risk of cross infection. This kind of behavior should be paid special attention to people with low immunity and those in the stage of infection.
2. After brushing the teeth, thoroughly clean the toothpaste and dirt on the toothbrush. Try to put the head of the toothbrush upward after use. Keeping dry helps reduce bacteria. Multiple toothbrushes should be opened separately to avoid cross infection.
3. Avoid placing the toothbrush in a closed container. In a closed container, it is difficult to keep the toothbrush dry. Compared with the dry environment, the humid environment is more conducive to the rapid propagation of microorganisms.
The above is for general situation. If people with low immunity, such as patients taking immunosuppressive drugs or receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the reinfection caused by these pathogenic microorganisms will be a serious problem. For such people, it is necessary to pay special attention to the cleaning of toothbrush. Qualified toothbrush disinfection products can be used, and the toothbrush should be replaced frequently.
What's the matter with 'change toothbrush once every three months'?
As for toothbrush, another saying is often mentioned: 'change it every three months'. This statement is based on the fact that after a period of use, the bristles of toothbrush will curl and break, so that the cleaning ability of the old toothbrush will become poor, and the health and hygiene of the teeth will not be well guaranteed. The 3-month time period, however, is based on most people's toothbrush damage.
There is a certain basis for this statement in the early stage. In an article published in the 1986 issue of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the question of whether an old toothbrush is used to remove plaque is not an issue. [1] one group of volunteers did not change their toothbrush for 10 consecutive weeks; the other group changed their toothbrush every 2 weeks. After 10 weeks, the researchers compared their gingival condition with the number of plaque. The results showed that the number of plaque on the teeth of the first group was significantly higher than that of the latter group. There was no difference in gingival condition between the two groups. It seems that the old toothbrush is really inferior in plaque removal. The experiment also showed that why is the difference between people so big? Some people's toothbrush only used for 2 weeks, and some used for 10 weeks, the appearance was pretty good.
However, as the investigation deepened, rumor shredder investigators found surprising follow-up studies. In 1996, another paper, also published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, discussed this issue again. [2] this time, the researcher's experimental scheme is slightly different from the previous one. They compared plaque at different stages in the same subjects using the same toothbrush. The experiment lasted for 9 weeks, every 3 weeks as a stage. With the increase of toothbrush wear, the number of dental plaque decreased. Similarly, for different people, the wear of toothbrush is also different after the same time. Even when the volunteers were divided into 'severe' and 'mild' groups based on toothbrush wear, there was no significant difference in plaque removal ability between the groups. All experiments concluded that the old toothbrush was not inferior in the effective control of plaque formation.
Similar conclusions were further verified in two studies in 2000 [3] and 2002 [4]. Although the protocol was different, both studies examined plaque removal with a 3-month toothbrush versus a new toothbrush. The conclusion is also 'no significant difference'. A study published in the Journal of dental research in 2006 [6] examined children (7, 8 years old). The researchers also found no statistically significant difference in plaque removal between the 14 week old toothbrush and the new toothbrush.