Survival Rate of Oral Bacteria on Toothbrush and Miswak Stick

Introduction: Oral hygiene aids including toothbrushes if not rinsed in a proper disinfectant can affect oral bacterial translocation and re-infection of the oral cavity due contamination. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the survival rate of total oral bacteria on toothbrush and miswak. Material and methods: Totally, 12young individuals with age range 22-28 years and with 20 more remaining teeth in the oral cavity participated in this study. These individuals were asked to brush one side of their mouth with miswak stick and the other side with a nylon tooth brush (Orange toothbrush No: 106A China). 6 bristles from a tuft of each toothbrush and equivalent amount of fibers from each miswak stick were cut immediately after brushing for 2 min and serially diluted in anutrient broth. The bacterial suspension was inculcated in agar plates and incubated for overnight. The used toothbrushes and miswak sticks were stored in sterile containers at room temperature and the experiment was then repeated after 24 hours of storage. The survival rates of oral bacteria were then calculated by comparing the total bacterial counts at day one and 24 hours after storage. Results: Miswak sticks harbored an average of 845.6 total oral bacterial counts and 523.7 the toothbrush respectively at a day one. After 24 hours of storage, toothbrush harbors statistically significant p˂0.05 more total bacterial counts as compared with miswak stick. Conclusion: The total oral bacterial survival rate on miswak was significantly reduced as compared with a toothbrush, thus the use of miswak after 24 hours can limits the risk for oral bacterial contamination and translocation. This is the first in vivo study which shows bacterial survival rate on miswak.