What does your toothbrush do at night when you are sleeping? It makes disgusting fecal bacteria sprout up! Researchers have now discovered that in the US alone, around 60 percent of all toothbrushes in bathrooms are contaminated with fecal bacteria.
Photo: Istock
- How do the bacteria get on the toothbrush?
- Is it dangerous?
- What can you do?
We use our toothbrush every day. All the more frightening is the study of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. More than half of all toothbrushes examined were fecal bacteria. And worse, if you live with another person, the likelihood of fecal bacteria is as high as 80 percent.
How do the bacteria get on the toothbrush?
The background to this is that when the toilet is flushed, small droplets - so-called aerosols - are formed . This was measured by Philip M. Tierno from the Medical Center of New York University. The aerosols are distributed together with all bacteria on the objects in the bathroom. So if the toothbrush is close to the toilet, the likelihood is relatively high that this gets some of the rinse water cloud.
Basically, that's not worrying, it would just be your own intestinal bacteria . But as soon as other people also use the bath, the risk of foreign fecal bacteria is increased.
Is it dangerous?
Due! Above all, the disgust factor plays a big role in faecal bacteria on the toothbrush. Because 500 to 1000 different types of bacteria are in the mouth anyway. As a rule, the immune system comes with further bacterial load clear. However, if one suffers from an immune disease or is otherwise weakened, the bacteria can also cause disease.
What can you do?
Dentists recommend changing the toothbrush at least every three months. Especially for infections of the mouth - such as herpes - it may be advisable to use a new brush directly after the infection. Keeping your toothbrush in a cupboard or far from the toilet reduces the risk of disgusting bacteria on the toothbrush.
