TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge, attitude and practice of undergraduate students regarding toothbrush contamination and disinfection
AU - Venkatesh, Swapna Bettanapalya
AU - Kamath, Vignesh
AU - Shetty, Shibani
AU - Shetty, Smitha Sammith
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Institute of Medico-Legal Publications. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - Background: Toothbrushes play a significant role in disease transmission as they act as a reservoir for microorganisms and aid in increasing the risk of infection in any individual. In recent years, the necessity of toothbrush disinfection has gained importance. Toothbrush disinfection should be recommended as a routine practice for all individuals. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of undergraduate students regarding toothbrush contamination and disinfection. Materials and methods: This study involved 446 undergraduate students between the age group of 18 to 23 years. A validated questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of undergraduate students regarding toothbrush contamination and disinfection. The study showed that 24.89% of the students disinfected their toothbrushes and 75.11% did not use any disinfectant. 78.92% of the students feel that bacteria as the main mode of toothbrush contamination. 84.40% of the students feel that the disinfection of the toothbrush is necessary whereas 15.69% feel that toothbrush disinfection is not necessary. 61.29% of students did not know toothbrush disinfection. Conclusion: Fewer students have sufficient knowledge about toothbrush contamination and practice the disinfection methods, whereas the majority of the students are unaware of the contamination of toothbrushes and the use of disinfectant methods.
AB - Background: Toothbrushes play a significant role in disease transmission as they act as a reservoir for microorganisms and aid in increasing the risk of infection in any individual. In recent years, the necessity of toothbrush disinfection has gained importance. Toothbrush disinfection should be recommended as a routine practice for all individuals. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of undergraduate students regarding toothbrush contamination and disinfection. Materials and methods: This study involved 446 undergraduate students between the age group of 18 to 23 years. A validated questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of undergraduate students regarding toothbrush contamination and disinfection. The study showed that 24.89% of the students disinfected their toothbrushes and 75.11% did not use any disinfectant. 78.92% of the students feel that bacteria as the main mode of toothbrush contamination. 84.40% of the students feel that the disinfection of the toothbrush is necessary whereas 15.69% feel that toothbrush disinfection is not necessary. 61.29% of students did not know toothbrush disinfection. Conclusion: Fewer students have sufficient knowledge about toothbrush contamination and practice the disinfection methods, whereas the majority of the students are unaware of the contamination of toothbrushes and the use of disinfectant methods.
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U2 - 10.37506/ijfmt.v14i4.12321
DO - 10.37506/ijfmt.v14i4.12321
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099435438
SN - 0973-9122
VL - 14
SP - 4340
EP - 4345
JO - Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
JF - Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
IS - 4
ER -