DefinePK

Abstract

AbstractObjective: To determine the awareness about toothbrush storage, the way of contamination, and disinfection between pre-clinical, clinical, and postgraduate groups of dental academies of Karachi, Pakistan.
Methodology: This descriptive study included 404 preclinical, clinical, and postgraduates of Sindh Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Karachi. A structured questionnaire was employed. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze data.
Results: Average age of the study participants were 24±2 years. The risk of contamination was acknowledged by 382 (94%) participants. A significant majority (86%, n=350) emphasized the crucial importance of toothbrush decontamination for everyone, but only 78 (19%) claimed to disinfect their toothbrushes using an antibiotic agent. There was statistically significant associations among all the groups concerning the frequency of tooth brushing and habits of changing toothbrushes and their disinfection (p<0.05).
Conclusion: There was inconsistent awareness about toothbrush storage, disinfection, and contamination between preclinical, clinical, and postgraduates, because of variance in their academic level and practice in clinical work.Key words: Dental students, disinfection, tooth brushing, decontamination.