Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Toothbrush Contamination and Disinfection among Dental Students in Chengalpet District, Tamil, Nadu, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Toothbrushes and dental floss are imperative for removing dental biofilm and preventing dental caries and periodontal diseases. Toothbrushes become contaminated after repeated usage. Contaminated toothbrushes may be a significant contributor to systemic and oral diseases. It is the responsibility of dentists to inform their patients about preventive oral health behaviours, to promote improved oral hygiene in society. Aim: To evaluate dental students’ knowledge and practice about toothbrush contamination and disinfection in Chengalpet district, Tamil Nadu, India. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 232 dental students from January 2023 to June 2023 at a private dental college, Chengalpet, Tamil Nadu, India. A structured questionnaire consisting of two domains, with 16 questions was prepared, validated, and distributed to the third years, final years, and interns to assess the knowledge (8 questions) and practice (8 questions) about toothbrush contamination and disinfection. The descriptive analysis of demographic variables was done and knowledge score and attitude score were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The participants of the present cross sectional study had a mean age of 23.49±1.56 years, with 36 (15.5%) males and 196 (84.4%) being female. The study values revealed that there was no statistically significant difference regarding the knowledge about toothbrush contamination between interns, final years and third years (p=0.806) and the further values obtained from the study revealed there was no statistically significant difference regarding the practice followed for toothbrush disinfection between all three groups (p=0.613). Conclusion: According to the study results there was no statistically significant difference in the knowledge and practice of toothbrush contamination and disinfection among the interns, final years, and third years. Since their education and expertise may allow them to enforce it on their patients, dental students ought to be required to learn more about this, thereby encouraging better oral hygiene.