Bathroom Behaviors Regarding Oral Hygiene Items During COVID-19 Home Isolation: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Brazil

Objective:  To describe behaviors with oral hygiene items in single-bathroom households during the domiciliary isolation of individuals with positive 'Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction' (RTPCR+) in southern Brazil.

Material and Methods:  Cross-sectional study was conducted with Research and Monitoring Sector of COVID-19 data from Palhoça, Brazil, of individuals aged ≥18 years, living in a singlebathroom household, who had an RT-PCR positive. A link of Google Forms was used. Socio-demographic information, characteristics during the home isolation, oral hygiene, and behaviors with oral hygiene items in the bathroom were collected. Descriptive stratified analyses according to age were conducted (<40 and ≥40 years).

Results:  Among 524 individuals, 36% were aged ≥40 years. During isolation, according to the behaviors with oral hygiene items in the household single-bathroom, 70% (95%CI 64.9-75.5) of the youngest participants reported sharing toothbrushes in the same container and 30% (95%CI 24.4-35.1) of the oldest; use of the same toothpaste was reported by 67% (95%CI 62.8-71.7) of the youngest and 33% (95%CI 28.337.3) of the oldest participants. For the outcome of sharing the same toothpaste, the chances for the youngest and the oldest to share the same toothbrush container was 11 times and 6 times more, respectively.

Conclusion:  The individuals related good oral hygiene habits; however, behaviors with oral hygiene items in the bathroom were neglected, especially by the younger individuals.

Keywords:
Preventive Dentistry; Oral Hygiene; Toothbrushing; Coronavirus