Assessment of Hygiene Practices on the Composition of Oral Microbiota and Antibiotic Profile of Pathogens

Periodontitis, gingivitis and oral candidiasis are predominant oro-dental infections associated with poor oral hygiene, trauma and diet preference. This study investigated factors associated with the colonization of the oral cavity with pathogenic microorganisms. Oral swabs were collected from students’ volunteers who also submitted their toothbrushes for microbiological assessment. Tooth brushes were also purchased from the market and assessed for level of microbial contamination. Another subset of volunteers was given antiseptic mouthwash to use consecutively for five days and their oral microbiota assessed. Pathogens isolated were tested for antibiotic susceptibility using the disc diffusion method. Organisms isolated from used toothbrushes which were found in the oral cavity were Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Candida. Organisms specific only to the oral cavity were Moraxella, Streptococcus pyogenes and alpha-haemolytic streptococci. Organisms isolated from new toothbrushes were Bacillus, diphtheroids and staphylococci and Pseudomonas. The use of mouth washes did not alter the composition of the oral flora as Klebsiella and Pseudomonas were isolated from the mouth of carriers of these pathogens. The antibiotic susceptibility of the organisms showed wide spread resistance by Staphylococcus, Bacillus and Enterococcus species to amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, ceftazidine and cefuroxime. The only isolates of Pseudomonas and Klebsiella were resistant to all tested antibiotics including ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. This study has revealed that toothbrushes may serve as an article for the transmission of oral pathogens both those endogenous to the oral cavity and pathogen that may be acquired exogenously. The results also present the mouth as a breeding site for microbial resistance