Multisite Evaluation of Toothbrushes and Microbial Growth in the Hospital Setting.

The way units and rooms were chosen for sampling was not clear, and it is not stated whether all non-isolation rooms were included. No patient demographics, diagnoses, length of stay, time in the room, or how long the toothbrush and toothpaste had been in use were collected. The study cannot show whether organisms came from the patient, the environment, or the toothbrush, or whether they caused infection. The laboratory used basic screening methods and was not certified or registered with any other clinical organization or governing body. Electric toothbrushes, isolation rooms, and unused toothbrushes were not tested for microbial growth. No clinical outcomes such as pneumonia were measured, and toothbrush results were not used for patient care decisions.

The study was sponsored by Stryker Sage. A representative of Stryker Sage obtained hospital consent, and after sampling, toothbrushes were replaced with a Stryker Sage toothbrush. The toothbrushes were sent to one independent laboratory, which was not certified or registered with any other clinical organization or governing body.

Do not conclude that contaminated toothbrushes caused pneumonia in hospitalized patients or that replacing toothbrushes prevents it. The study sampled toothbrushes only; it did not follow patients, compare outcomes, or determine whether the organisms came from the patient or the environment.