How Dirty Is Your Toothbrush?

Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock

Toothbrushes may harbor illness-causing bacteria, but the way you store and care for your brush may influence its bacterial load significantly.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Your toothbrush serves as a reservoir for microorganisms and becomes contaminated with infectious organisms soon after its initial use.
• In both healthy people and those with oral disease, pathogenic bacteria and viruses were detected on toothbrushes, including E. coli and herpes simplex virus.
• One study found heavy contamination with pathogenic microorganisms in 70 percent of toothbrushes after use.
• Storing toothbrushes in communal bathrooms isn’t recommended—at least 60 percent were contaminated with fecal coliforms, no matter how they were stored or cleaned.
• The best way to store your toothbrush is in a dry environment where it can air-dry—placing your toothbrush into a closed container isn’t a good idea, as this may keep your toothbrush moist, allowing bacteria to flourish.
• Dipping your toothbrush into 3 percent hydrogen peroxide may reduce bacterial load by 85 percent.

Dutifully brushing your teeth twice a day is an essential part of good hygiene, but what if the toothbrush itself isn’t clean? The fact is your toothbrush is far from sterile and by the very nature of brushing your teeth becomes contaminated with bacteria, saliva, blood, debris from your mouth, and more after every brushing.[1]