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'Green' oral health - are there really alternatives?

BDJ Student volume 27, page 8 (2020)Cite this article

By Ayoola Bode, 4th year BDS student at the University of Manchester

With the recommendation to replace toothbrushes every three months, it is not surprising that in the United States alone, around 850 million to over a billion toothbrushes are thrown away every year.2 Modern toothbrushes are made from a combination of plastics and nylon for the bristles - neither of which are biodegradable and will reside in landfills for hundreds of years or in the oceans.2

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References

  1. LI W C, Tse H F and Fok L. Plastic waste in the marine environment: A review of sources, occurrence and effects. Sci Total Environ 2016; 566-567: 333-349.

  2. EcoPlanet Bamboo. The Environmental Impact of Toothbrushes. Available online at: http://www.ecoplanetbamboo.com/news/the-environmental-impact-of-toothbrushes (Accessed December 2019).

  3. Bag an environmentally-friendly bamboo brush. Br Dent J 2016; 220: 85.

  4. The Plastic Free Shop. Dental Lace Refillable Dental Floss - Grey. Available online at: https://www.theplasticfreeshop.co.uk/dental-lace-refillable-dental-floss-in-granite (Accessed December 2019).

  5. BBC. Plastic straw and cotton bud ban proposed. Available online at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43817287 (Accessed December 2019).

  6. Edwards M, Ashwood R A, Littlewood S J, Brocklebank L M and Fung D E. A videofluoroscopic comparison of straw and cup drinking: the potential influence on dental erosion. Br Dent J 1998; 185: 244-249.

  7. The Plastic Free Shop. Denttabs - toothpaste tablets - with fluoride. Available online at: https://www.theplasticfreeshop.co.uk/denttabs (Accessed December 2019).

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  1. Dental School, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, UK

    Ayoola Bode

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Bode, A. 'Green' oral health - are there really alternatives?. BDJ Student 27, 8 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41406-020-0108-z

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