Now that the people have become aware of the importance of sanitizing their toothbrush, “toothbrush sanitization” is a buzz these days. Never waiting for a chance to prey on the consumer’s interest, many companies have launched their toothbrush sanitization products.
So how effective these tooth brush sanitizers are and are there any alternate and effective methods for the same?
But first of all, is toothbrush sanitization just hype to sell some products not essential to oral health?
The answer is Yes and no! Yes, Toothbrushes are huge carriers of oral bacteria but no, there has been no concrete evidence to suggest that it can have implications. Sanitization is considered especially effective in preventing reinfection of any kind due to the bacteria lodged on your toothbrush from an infection of yours.
Now, for most people toothbrush sanitization is limited to placing a cap on the tooth brush head or placing the toothbrush itself in a closed container. These people do not realize that closed environments have moisture which is infact conductive for growth of bacteria and other microorganisms. Hence, never cover your toothbrush in a closed cap or container.
Sources of Bacteria on toothbrush
- The millions of bacteria in your oral cavity.
- Microorganisms from the environment.
- From the package itself as there is no requirement for toothbrushes to be sealed under sterile conditions.
So, how do I sanitize my Toothbrush?
Well, the most effective way would be to go for the commercially available toothbrush sanitizers as they are very effective and kill up to 99.999% of all microorganisms on your toothbrush.
Alternate methods of toothbrush Sanitization
Of course, there is no absolute need for a commercial toothbrush sanitizer either. Studies have shown that immersing your toothbrush in any antibacterial solution or Listerine is almost as effective as the commercial toothbrush sanitizers. A study done by first year students at Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha concluded the similar effectiveness of the commercial toothbrush sanitizers to anti-bacterial rinses.
You could just immerse your toothbrush in Listerine solution for 20 minutes and achieve good results. However, the only disadvantage with this is that people tend to forget to do it or simply can’t be bothered to do it. Hence, in my personal opinion, a toothbrush sanitizer might just be a better option to go for if you look towards toothbrush sanitization as an important aspect of your Dental Health. However, let me again emphasize that there has been no evidence to suggest that this is actually beneficial.
