Introduction: In recent times, neglect of toothbrush maintenance has been increasingly reported. Multiple toothbrush disinfection methods are available but most of the health professionals are not aware of those techniques. Toothbrush maintenance and storage plays a vital role for improved oral health related quality of life. Aim: To assess the knowledge on toothbrush contamination and disinfection among dental students. Materials and methods: A total of 100 dental students were included in this study and an online questionnaire regarding toothbrush contamination and disinfection was distributed. Students of each year were categorised as First, second, third, final years and interns. The responses were statistically analysed in SPSS. The significance is arrived at using Chi square test. Result: 57% of the participants brush their teeth once a day. 88% of the participants responded that bacteria is capable of causing toothbrush contamination. 82% of the participants responded that sharing the toothbrush is the common mode of transmission of infection from toothbrush. Students doing internships highly responded that disinfection of toothbrushes is very important in daily life (significant-chi square test; p<0.001). Intern students also responded white vinegar as the better method of disinfection compared to students from other years (significant-chi square test; p<0.001). Conclusion: Awareness ontoothbrush contamination and disinfection is higher among interns and less among first, second and third year students. As health care professionals, the role of maintaining a toothbrush and its derived benefits must be well known to oneself, to educate their patients in their routine clinical practice

Toothbrush; contamination; disinfection methods; dental students; innovative analysis