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ABSTRACT
Toothbrushes are essential in oral hygiene and must be considered one of the most common articles of daily use. This study accessed toothbrushes obtained from students at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. It was conducted to investigate the presence of contaminating bacteria on regularly used toothbrushes. Studies on the bacteriological quality of toothbrushes obtained from fourteen (14) student volunteers were carried out. A total of five (5) bacterial species were detected in the toothbrushes; Proteus sp, Staphylococcus epidermis, Alkalibacter sp, Streptococcus sp, and Akaliphillus sp. Alkalibacter sp. and Akaliphillus sp. both had the highest occurrence, while Staphylococcus epidermis had the least occurrence. The total bacteria count ranges from 6x103 to 327x103 cfu/toothbrush. The Micro-organism isolated from the toothbrushes is of public health significance. Good toothbrush hygiene is very important in society to avoid the potential risk of infection and cross infection as good hygiene is an important factor in health.
