Regular brushing and flossing of the teeth is, undoubtedly, the most ideal way to protect the mouth from bacteria. However, keeping a toothbrush in the bathroom can expose one to a number of bacteria.
According to health experts, when the toilet is flushed with an open lid, germ droplets of bacteria from the toilet are released into the air which is likely to land on a toothbrush.
A number of studies, including a research by the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United Kingdom, have confirmed that toothbrushes stored in the bathroom are contaminated with fecal germs, among other bacteria.
A dental surgeon at the Oral and Maxillofacial Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Paa Kwesi Blankson, in an interview with The Spectator, said there were different types of bacterial lurking in bathrooms.
�It is not advisable to keep toothbrush in places where they are exposed to certain contaminated areas since this may pose some sort of risk. Rather, they should be kept in hygienic environments. Risk is risk, whether low or high,� he said.
�Twenty minutes after a person is born, millions of bacteria are located in the mouth. This is normal and do not have the capacity to cause disease,� he added.
He hinted that although some of the bacteria found on toothbrushes were also not harmful, they could result in certain illnesses depending on the type of bacteria.
�Bacteria may not have the potential to cause damage in some instances, but can in the right circumstances cause damage. For instance, bacteria or micro-organism on the skin may not be harmful but could turn potentially harmful when it comes in contact with the person�s blood,� he said.
Dr Blankson urged the public to use softer bristles for brushing and stressed the need for regular brushing of the teeth, noting that the best way to brush effectively was to do it in a circular motion.
On the issue of whether wet bristles from wet toothbrushes provided an ideal surface for bacteria to develop, the dental surgeon said �micro-bacteria themselves depending on which bacteria, have their own prerequisite for survival and once these are ripe, irrespective of the circumstance, they will grow. This includes toothbrushes, sponges and other surfaces�.
He said keeping wet toothbrushes in air tight containers could possibly encourage the growth of mould.
He advised people not to keep toothbrushes at the brink of sinks since it might increase the risk of being landed on the droplets of germs when people spit or wash dirty hands into the sink.
Toothbrushes should be changed every three months and under no circumstance should they be kept with other toothbrushes in order to reduce risk of infection, he added.
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