_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: mowole@oauife.edu.ng, yomosun2002@yahoo.co.uk; British Microbiology Research Journal 15(2): 1-9, 2016, Article no.BMRJ.26824 ISSN: 2231-0886, NLM ID: 101608140 SCIENCEDOMAIN international www.sciencedomain.org Used Toothbrushes: Microbial Evaluation and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profiles of Associated Bacteria Osungunna Michael Oluwole 1* and Oyajoju Tolulope Olumuyiwa 1 1 Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between both authors. Author OMO designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol, wrote the first draft of the manuscript and managed literature searches. Author OTO carried out part of the bench work under author OMO’s supervision. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/BMRJ/2016/26824 Editor(s): (1) Giuseppe Blaiotta, Department of Food Science, Via Università, Italy. Reviewers: (1) Fellah Mamoun, Khenchela University, Algeria. (2) Rizwan Sanadi, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, India. (3) Rodrigo Lorenzi Poluha, State University of Maringá, Brazil. (4) Sara Bernardi, University of L’Aquila, Italy. Complete Peer review History: http://sciencedomain.org/review-history/14912 Received 4 th May 2016 Accepted 26 th May 2016 Published 4 th June 2016 ABSTRACT Aims: Toothbrush has been universally accepted as the most effective tool for removing harmful plaque and bacteria from mouth. On average, colonization of bacteria is reduced by 88.8% as a result of brushing. Toothbrush if not properly taken care of before, during and after use may serve as a vector for the re-introduction of potential pathogens into the oral cavity. This study therefore aimed at investigating the microbial quality of used toothbrushes among selected students of a Tertiary Institution in Ile-Ife, Nigeria as well as the antibiotic susceptibility profiles and adherence property of the associated bacteria. Methodology: Fifty used toothbrushes were collected from students in sterile nylon and transported to Laboratory for processing within an hour of collection. The bacteria were isolated and characterized by conventional biochemical techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out using the disk diffusion test according to the Clinical and Standard Laboratory Institute guidelines. Phenotypic adherence property of the isolates was investigated using the Congo Red Agar (CRA) method. Original Research Article