title: An antimicrobial effect from silver-coated toothbrush heads.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the antimicrobial effect of silver-coated toothbrush heads in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparisons were made between 62 silver-coated and 62 non-coated toothbrush heads which were contaminated by different standardized microbial suspensions. The following microorganisms were investigated: Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Actinomyces viscosus, Lactobacillus casei and Candida albicans. For cultivation of the microorganisms as well as for the subsequent determination of the colony forming units (CFUs), Columbia blood agar plates or Sabouraud agar were used. The cycle of daily toothbrushing was imitated by rinsing the brushes with 200 ml sterile tap water to reduce the number of microorganisms and the brushes were then placed upright to allow drying overnight. Colony counts were done initially (time 0) and again at 20 hours. The rinsing fluid was also examined in order to determine the decrease of microorganisms due to this step. All experiments were done twice and the means were calculated and statistically evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant reduction in CFUs by silver-coated toothbrushes (P > 0.05) for all of the microorganisms tested. On the contrary, the colony counts for S. sanguis (P = 0.02) and C. albicans (P = 0.01) were significantly higher on silver-coated toothbrushes compared to the controls. Silver-coating in the current form did not improve any antimicrobial effects against residual bacteria present on the toothbrush head.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Ahmad
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiedmann-Al-Ahmad
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deimling
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jaser
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pelz
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wittmer
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ratka-Krüger
mesh_terms: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000494:pharmacology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003742:Dental Devices, Home Care; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D004867:Equipment Design; D016014:Linear Models; D012834:Silver / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D012834:Silver