Antimicrobial Efficacy of Charcoal vs. Non-charcoal Toothbrushes: A Randomized Controlled Study

AIM: To assess the efficacy of the antimicrobial properties of charcoal vs. non-charcoal toothbrushes and the level of bacterial contamination in the oral cavity using a charcoal toothbrush. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind controlled study in which both male and female subjects aged from 18 to 35 were included (n = 30; 15 males and 15 females). The subjects were selected from (students) of Riyadh Elm University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Subjects were informed about the study and signed the consent form before participation. From January to April 2019, subjects were given charcoal and non-charcoal toothbrushes. RESULTS: The Wilcoxon signed rank test showed that there was a significant difference in bacterial counts between non-charcoal and charcoal toothbrushes (P = 0.000). Of the subjects, 70% showed a decrease in the number of bacterial counts while 30% showed no increase in bacterial counts. There was a statistically significant decrease in the number of bacteria in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) with charcoal treatment (P < 0.001). Of the subjects, 96.6% showed a decrease in the count of bacteria in GCF after using a charcoal toothbrush. Only 3.3% of the subjects had the similar counts of bacteria in GCF after using the charcoal toothbrush. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that charcoal toothbrushes reduce bacterial contamination and the poor effects on oral health after 1 week of use.