A study investigating the effectiveness of chlorhexidine-coated toothbrush filaments has found no difference in the quantity of bacteria surviving on toothbrush filaments between control and experimental groups (International Journal of Dental Hygiene, November 2009, Vol. 7:4, pp. 241-245).
In the study, conducted at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, 64 individuals used control and experimental toothbrushes for 30 days. At the end of this time period the toothbrushes were analyzed at a laboratory.
Fifty-nine toothbrushes were returned for analysis, out of which 31 were experimental and 28 were controls. The data revealed mean bacterial colony-forming units for the control group of 5.41 x 105, compared with 6.28 x 105 for the experimental group.
"Results revealed no statistically significant difference in the quantity of bacteria surviving on toothbrush filaments between control and experimental groups, on both selective and non-selective media, after 30 days," the authors concluded.
