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Background: Toothbrushes are used as an adjunct for mechanical plaque control to improve the oral health and hygiene. However, toothbrushes are an easy source of contamination by the microorganisms. Rinsing with plain tap water may reduce this microbial load, but complete elimination is not possible. Aim: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of three different chemical agents as toothbrush disinfectant. Materials and Methods: A triple-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in a dental institute. Forty volunteers were divided into three experimental groups and one control group (n = 10). (Group A: 0.2% chlorhexidine; Group B: distilled water; Group C: Listerine; and Group D: 2% sodium hypochlorite). The participants were instructed to brush their teeth using toothbrushes with standard bristles and then disinfect their toothbrushes according to instructed methods. Bacterial decontamination of toothbrushes was measured by calculating colony-forming units (CFUs) of Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Escherichia coli. Data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS software package for Windows (version 15.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Means, standard deviations, and for data of each microorganism after disinfection with different methods were calculated with descriptive statistics. The Bonferroni test was performed for post hoc analysis. A P value of 0.05 was considered as the level of statistical significance. Results: Means were calculated for the CFU in all the groups; Group D (2% sodium hypochlorite) was found to have highest mean reduction for all the microorganisms followed by Group C (Listerine), Group A (0.12% chlorhexidine), and Group B (distilled water) (control group). Conclusion: All the methods tested were effective in reducing the bacterial count of S. mutans, Staphylococcus, L. rhamnosus, and E. coli. However, the most effective method was NaOCl (2%) followed by Listerine, chlorhexidine, and water.

Background: The hands of health-care workers are the primary mode of transmission of the pathogens to patients, so hand hygiene is considered to be the most important and least expensive means of preventing nosocomial infections. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of different hand sanitizers. Subjects and Methods: An in vitro study was conducted in the Department of Public Health Dentistry in the Dental College, Delhi NCR, to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Green Apple (Himalaya), Lemon (Lifebuoy), Aloe vera (Tempo) hand sanitizers and compared them with the antimicrobial efficacy of sterillium hand sanitizers which is considered as the gold standard in hand sterilization. Twenty five participants were divided into five groups. The Gloves worn by the participants were swabbed after oral prophylaxis using different hand sanitizers. The inoculation of the sample was done and incubated for 48 h at 37°C, and colony-forming units were counted. The data obtained were compiled systematically using Microsoft Excel and were analyzed using the SPSS version 19.0. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics to assess the mean, standard deviation, standard error of the mean, and ANOVA and post hoc test for group-wise comparisons. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Sterillium group showed the highest antimicrobial effectiveness followed by lemon group (71.4 ± 11.80), Green Apple group (112 ± 13.78), and A. vera group (156.4 ± 34.37), respectively, against all the organisms in the study. Conclusion: Sterillium possessed maximum antimicrobial effect against all the Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria as compared to lemon, green apple, and A. vera hand sanitizers.

Context: Edentulism is a handicap that affects the quality of life and nutrition. Tooth loss leads to functional impairment at the level of the orofacial system, significantly interfering with chewing, swallowing and speech, as well as to temporomandibular joint dysfunction, disorders of intermaxillary relation, and facial physiognomy. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore variables that influence self-reported oral health and denture satisfaction in partially and completely edentulous patients using oral health impact profile for edentulous (OHIP-EDENT). Materials and Methods: A hospital-based study was carried out on the patient's age ranged from 30 to 70 years in the dental college who had been treated with complete dentures and removable partial denture using convenience sampling method. Prevalidated questionnaire consisting of OHIP-EDENT was self-administered to all the study participants. The information about the appetite, perceived general and oral health, and satisfaction from the dentures was recorded using a 4-point Likert scale. Data were collected, entered, and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. One-way ANOVA was performed to test for comparison between different denture groups. P < 0.05 shows statistically significant difference. Results: When the mean of denture satisfaction level was calculated between different denture group and different domains of OHIP-EDENT, there was no difference found in level of denture satisfaction between different denture groups, i.e., overall denture satisfaction mean in Group 1 was 2.18 ± 0.32, Group 2 has 2.23 ± 0.36, Group 3 has the mean of 2.18 ± 0.42, Group 4 has 2.23 ± 0.67, and P value was 0.810 which shows nonsignificant difference. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that the poor self-perceived satisfaction among denture wearers affect their quality of life.