광학현미경을 이용한칫솔모 끝 미세플라스틱 칩 발생에 대한 사례 연구 (Microplastic chip occurrence at toothbrush bristle tips: an optical microscopy investigation)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 대한예방치과·구강보건학회
· 수록지 정보 : 대한구강보건학회지 / 48권 / 1호 / 20 ~ 25페이지
· 저자명 : 정승화, 조유진, 전은주

초록

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.

영어초록

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.

참고자료

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