Interaction of Oral and Toothbrush Microbiota Affects Oral Cavity Health
Open accessAbstract
Brushing teeth is necessary for people to maintain oral health, while little work is done to explore the microbial diversity in toothbrush and study the potential impact of these bacteria on human health. In the present study, 20 participants were enrolled, and the microbial diversity in their oral cavity and toothbrush were investigated using high-throughput sequencing. Our results indicated that 1,136 and 976 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained from groups CB (sample from toothbrushes using traditional Chinese medicinal toothpaste) and AB (sample from toothbrushes using antibacterial toothpaste), and pathogens Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, had also been identified from toothbrush, which increased the chance for host to get infectious diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Moreover, our in vitro results indicated that the traditional Chinese medicinal toothpaste and antibacterial toothpaste could not only inhibit the growth of pathogens, but also markedly inhibited the growth of probiotics Lactobacillus salivarius and Streptococcus salivarius. Therefore, the inhibited effect of toothpaste on probiotics, together with the existing of pathogens in toothbrush, indicating a potential risk of brushing teeth on people with sub-health state.
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Toothbrushes themselves can serve as reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria that can then inoculate the oral cavity.
“Toothbrushes themselves, however, can also serve as reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria that can then inoculate the oral cavity, bringing into view the importance of properly sanitizing and storing personal dental hygiene equipment.28, 33”
From The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease (2021) · cites this paper as [33]
Both traditional Chinese medicine and antibacterial toothpastes effectively reduced numbers of a selection of pathogenic bacteria but also suppressed oral S salivarius and L salivarius, both considered beneficial.
“While both types of toothpaste effectively reduced the numbers of a selection of pathogenic bacteria, they also suppressed oral S salivarius and L salivarius, both of which are considered beneficial.”
From The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease (2021) · cites this paper as [33]
The toothpastes reduced bacterial numbers to differing degrees: ingredients in the Chinese toothpaste, such as honeysuckle, pseudo-ginseng, and mint, which replace antibacterial ingredients like sodium fluoride, permitted growth of higher numbers of bacteria.
“The toothpastes reduced bacterial numbers to differing degrees: ingredients in the Chinese toothpaste, such as honeysuckle, pseudo‐ginseng, and mint, which replace antibacterial ingredients like sodium fluoride, permitted growth of higher numbers of bacteria.”
From The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease (2021) · cites this paper as [33]
In the same study, researchers compared oral and toothbrush microbiotas of participants who used either traditional Chinese medicine toothpaste or antibacterial toothpaste.
“In the same study as previously described,33 the researchers also compared the oral and toothbrush microbiotas of participants who used either traditional Chinese medicine toothpaste or antibacterial toothpaste.”
From The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease (2021) · cites this paper as [33]
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- Authors
- Shang, Q., Gao, Y., Qin, T., Wang, S., Shi, Y., & Chen, T.
- Affiliations
- Nanchang University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Shi, Yan
- Chen, Tingtao
- Venue
- Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2020-02-04
- Volume
- 10
- Pages
- 17-17
- ISSN
- 2235-2988 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7011102
- OpenAlex
- W3003161522
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 5.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (20194BCJ22032, 31560264)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
- Keywords
- oral microbiota, toothpaste, probiotics, Lactobacillus salivarius, Streptococcus salivarius, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, oral health, sub-health, microbial diversity
- MeSH terms
- Bacteria, Candida albicans, Female, Humans, Male, Mouth, Oral Health, Risk Factors, Toothbrushing, Toothpastes, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Bacterial Physiological Phenomena, Young Adult, Microbial Interactions, Bacterial Load, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Microbiota
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