PREVALENCE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY OF BACTERIA FROM USED TOOTHBRUSHES OF STUDENTS RESIDING IN HALL I AND II UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

Abstract

Used toothbrushes are reservoirs for varieties of bacteria that are implicated in human disease transmission. Personal oral hygiene and removal of plaque are important roles played by the use of toothbrushes in an act endorsed for oral hygiene resolution and ubiquitously practiced in developing and developed Nations. The study aims to evaluate the prevalence and susceptibility of bacteria present in used toothbrushes of students residing in Halls I and II, University of Benin. New toothbrushes ninety (90) were bought and forty-five (45) each were distributed to students in each hall of residence, these toothbrushes were used for one month and collected for bacteria analysis. Standard bacteriological procedures were observed for the analysis. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 computer software package. Independent t-test was used to find the differences between the two variables.  The value of p< 0.05 was taken to be statistically significant. Heavy bacteria contamination was associated with used toothbrushes while no bacteria contamination in the unused ones, which serves as a control. Klebsiella species 16 (35.53 %), and 19 (42.2 %) were more prevalent than coagulase-negative staphylococci species 2 (4.4 %) and 2(4.4 %) respectively from both halls. All the toothbrushes analyzed in this study had bacteria contaminates that are known to harm human health, contributing significantly to the spread of diseases, and increasing infection risks. Establishing a high aseptic protocol, storage, and management be encouraged in tertiary institution halls of residence as the incidence of these oral bacteria and individual health risks will be minimized.