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KMID : 0355420240480010020
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Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health
2024 Volume.48 No. 1 p.20 ~ p.25
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Microplastic chip occurrence at toothbrush bristle tips: an optical microscopy investigation
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Jeong Seung-Hwa
Cho You-Jin
Jun Eun-Joo
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Abstract
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Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the presence of microplastic chips at the tips of toothbrush bristles using optical microscopy.
Methods: Toothbrushes available in South Korea were tested. We randomly selected 12 toothbrushes, including four domestically produced and eight imported toothbrushes. Toothbrushes withtapered bristle ends were excluded. Toothbrushes with conventional bristle shapes based on visualinspection were included. Three identical toothbrushes were prepared. The outer bristles of eachtoothbrush were sampled using ScotchTM tape and prepared using a scalpel for optical microscopy.
The inspector visually assessed both the bristle diameter and the presence of microplastic chipsthat remained attached to the ends of the toothbrush bristles under light microscopy (40× magnification).
Results: All toothbrush bristles met the criteria for soft bristles (diameters ranging from 0.2 to0.25 mm). The incidence of microplastic chips varied among toothbrush bristles, ranging from aminimum of 3.6% to a maximum of 86.2%. Notably, toothbrushes with smaller diameter bristlesexhibited higher levels of microplastic chips.
Conclusions: This study confirmed that the trimming conditions of toothbrush bristles and the occurrence of microplastic chips vary among different toothbrushes. Our findings suggest that toothbrush manufacturers need to improve their manufacturing processes to prevent the generation ofmicroplastic chips during bristle trimming.
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KEYWORD
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Microplastic chip, Optical microscopy, Toothbrush bristle
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