Toothbrushes and the Environment: Perceptions of sustainability and responsible alternatives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i1.47777Keywords:
Dentistry; Ecology; Sustainable Development Indicators; Plastics; Recycling.Abstract
The growing concern for sustainability in the healthcare sector has fostered the development of eco-friendly alternatives, such as bamboo toothbrushes, in response to the environmental impact of plastic toothbrushes. Thus, this study aimed to assess perceptions regarding the disposal of manual plastic toothbrushes and sustainable practices related to the use of alternative devices like bamboo toothbrushes. A structured questionnaire was applied to 120 patients and companions at the School of Dentistry of Araçatuba (FOA-UNESP). Results showed that 67.5% of participants discard their toothbrushes immediately, with 98.3% of the disposals occurring in regular waste, demonstrating limited knowledge about the environmental damage caused by these products. Furthermore, none of the respondents used bamboo toothbrushes, and about 80% were unaware of their existence. Factors such as educational level, household income, and gender significantly influenced practices and perceptions regarding sustainable consumption. Therefore, it can be concluded that these results reinforce the need for educational campaigns to promote environmental awareness and the adoption of proper disposal and reuse practices for these materials, contributing to mitigating the environmental impacts associated with the use of these dental products.
References
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Compreendendo atitudes e prevendo comportamento social. NJ: Prentice Hall.
Barbu, A., Catană, Ș.-A., Deselnicu, D. C., Cioca, L.-I., & Ioanid, A. (2022). Factors influencing consumer behavior toward green products: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416568
Barros, C., Neves, C., & Mendes, S. (2023). Produtos e práticas sustentáveis de higiene oral: Perspectivas, expectativas e barreiras dos residentes portugueses. Revista Portuguesa de Estomatologia e Cirurgia Maxilo-Facial, 64. https://doi.org/10.24873/j.rpemd.2023.
Chauhan, K. (2021). Bamboo: A sustainable alternative to plastic. Tropical Forest Research Institute, 8(6), 1–4.
Chopra, A., Gupta, N., Rao, N. C., & Vashisth, S. (2014). Eco-dentistry: The environment-friendly dentistry. Saudi Journal for Health Sciences, 3(2), 61–65. https://doi.org/10.4103/2278-0521.134837
Costa, D. V. da, & Teodósio, A. dos S. de S. (2011). Desenvolvimento sustentável, consumo e cidadania: Um estudo sobre a (des)articulação da comunicação de organizações da sociedade civil, do estado e das empresas. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12(3), 114–145. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-69712011000300006
Drumond, P. M., & Wiedman, G. (Eds.). (2017). Bambus no Brasil: Da biologia à tecnologia. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações e Comunicações. ISBN: 978-85-899-6222-3.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Crença, atitude, intenção e comportamento: Uma introdução à teoria e à pesquisa. Massachussetts: Addison Wesley.
Halton, C., Duane, B., Batey, A. C., Wong, J., Corley, A., Hart, F., Koh, J., & Johnston, B. (2022). How much do consumers consider sustainability when purchasing a toothbrush? A discrete choice experiment. British Dental Journal, 233(4), 327–332. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-4914-2
Instituto Ethos. (2024). Resíduos: Lixo zero. Disponível em https://www3.ethos.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Residuos-Lixo-Zero.pdf
Ishii, Y., Suzuki, I., Sakazume-Suzuki, H., Kurakawa, Y., Uchiyama, T., Okada, Y., Nagashima, T., Taguchi, C., & Arikawa, K. (2023). Low-environmental-impact bamboo toothbrushes demonstrate comparable hygienic condition to that of plastic and biomass plastic toothbrushes after use and storage. International Journal of Oral-Medical Sciences, 22, 23–34. https://doi.org/10.5466/ijoms.22.23
Kariya, P. B., Desai, A., Singh, S., Bansal, B., & Shah, Y. (2024). Comparing plaque removal efficacy of biodegradable toothbrush and nonbiodegradable toothbrush in children of 8–10 years of age: A randomized clinical study. Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, 42(2), 112–118. https://doi.org/10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_61_24
Levorato, C. D., Mello, L. M. de, Silva, A. S. da, & Nunes, A. A. (2014). Fatores associados à procura por serviços de saúde numa perspectiva relacional de gênero. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 19(4), 126. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232014000400006
Marvi, M., Maleki Minbashrazgah, M., Zarei, A., & Baghini, G. (2020). Knowledge foundation in green purchase behaviour: Multidimensional scaling method. Cogent Business & Management, 7, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1773676
Moutinho, K., & Roazzi, A. (2010). As teorias da ação racional e da ação adequada: Relações entre interesses e comportamentos. Avaliação Psicológica, 9. Disponível em http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/sc.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1677-04712010000300008
O'Brine, T., & Thompson, R. C. (2010). Degradation of plastic carrier bags in the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60(12), 2279–2283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.08.005
Pereira A. S. et al. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. [free e-book]. Editora UAB/NTE/UFSM.
Raidee, A. S., Helmi, F. I. M., Abdul Razak, M. A., Azami, N. H., & Mohd Nor, N. A. (2024). Percepção pública sobre o uso de escova de dentes de bambu ecológica. Journal of the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Edição Especial 1, Artigo 21. https://doi.org/10/jummec.sp
Sidique, S., Lupi, F., & Joshi, S. (2010). The effects of behavior and attitudes on drop-off recycling activities. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54, 163–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2009.07.012
Silva, R. D., Laschefski, K., & Zhouri, A. F. (2011). Consumo sustentável e cidadania socioambiental: Diálogos entre sociedade civil, mercado e Estado. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12(3), 114–145.
Vieira, S. (2018). Introdução à bioestatística. Ed.GEN/Guanabara Koogan.
Wang, C., Ghadimi, P., Lim, M. K., & Tseng, M. L. (2019). A literature review on sustainable consumption and production: A comparative analysis in developed and developing economies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 206, 108–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.172
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Yuri Gabriel Chamorro de Moraes; Ticiane Cestari Fagundes Tozzi; Gladiston Willian Lobo Rodrigues; Bruna Perazza; Vitória Marques Gomes; Anna Clara Cachoni; Camila Paes Aikawa Marques; Leandro Pimentel Cabral; Rogério de Castilho Jacinto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
