Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature

Toothbrushes are commonly used in hospital settings and may harbor potentially harmful microorganisms. A peer-reviewed literature review was conducted to evaluate the cumulative state of knowledge related to toothbrush contamination and its possible role in disease transmission. A systematic review...

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Main Authors: Michelle R. Frazelle, Cindy L. Munro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Nursing Research and Practice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/420630
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author Michelle R. Frazelle
Cindy L. Munro
author_facet Michelle R. Frazelle
Cindy L. Munro
author_sort Michelle R. Frazelle
collection DOAJ
description Toothbrushes are commonly used in hospital settings and may harbor potentially harmful microorganisms. A peer-reviewed literature review was conducted to evaluate the cumulative state of knowledge related to toothbrush contamination and its possible role in disease transmission. A systematic review was conducted on adult human subjects through three distinct searches. The review resulted in seven experimental and three descriptive studies which identified multiple concepts related to toothbrush contamination to include contamination, methods for decontamination, storage, design, and environmental factors. The selected studies found that toothbrushes of healthy and oral diseased adults become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria from the dental plaque, design, environment, or a combination of factors. There are no studies that specifically examine toothbrush contamination and the role of environmental factors, toothbrush contamination, and vulnerable populations in the hospital setting (e.g., critically ill adults) and toothbrush use in nursing clinical practice.
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spelling doaj-art-0d23cf23fa6a4cd0b8a10cfc5de331522025-08-20T02:03:04ZengWileyNursing Research and Practice2090-14292090-14372012-01-01201210.1155/2012/420630420630Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the LiteratureMichelle R. Frazelle0Cindy L. Munro1School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1100 East Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0567, USASchool of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1100 East Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0567, USAToothbrushes are commonly used in hospital settings and may harbor potentially harmful microorganisms. A peer-reviewed literature review was conducted to evaluate the cumulative state of knowledge related to toothbrush contamination and its possible role in disease transmission. A systematic review was conducted on adult human subjects through three distinct searches. The review resulted in seven experimental and three descriptive studies which identified multiple concepts related to toothbrush contamination to include contamination, methods for decontamination, storage, design, and environmental factors. The selected studies found that toothbrushes of healthy and oral diseased adults become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria from the dental plaque, design, environment, or a combination of factors. There are no studies that specifically examine toothbrush contamination and the role of environmental factors, toothbrush contamination, and vulnerable populations in the hospital setting (e.g., critically ill adults) and toothbrush use in nursing clinical practice.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/420630
spellingShingle Michelle R. Frazelle
Cindy L. Munro
Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature
Nursing Research and Practice
title Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature
title_full Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature
title_fullStr Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature
title_full_unstemmed Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature
title_short Toothbrush Contamination: A Review of the Literature
title_sort toothbrush contamination a review of the literature
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/420630
work_keys_str_mv AT michellerfrazelle toothbrushcontaminationareviewoftheliterature
AT cindylmunro toothbrushcontaminationareviewoftheliterature