ROLE OF TOILET TYPE IN TRANSMISSION OF INFECTIONS

Context: There are two types of toilets including the dry toilet and the wet toilet and the most common type of toilet is the flush toilet that is a wet toilet. Some people due to some cultural and religious matters are less likely to use these toilets and usually use the squat toilets. Finding some scientific documentation would result in a better judgment about the best toilet. Aims: This study was conducted to obtain definite results about the role of toilet type in transmission of infections. Settings and Design: Home Toilets, Cross-sectional study Methods and Materials: Forty toilets including 20 sitting and 20 squat toilets were selected and the frequency of pathogenic germs and their types were determined and compared between two groups. All the toilets were white and it was one year passed from their manufacture. Statistical Analysis: The statistical analysis of data obtained from the toilets was performed using SPSS version 14.0 software using the Fisher and Chi-square tests. Results: The frequency and microorganisms was differed between two types of toilets and the sitting toilets had fewer microorganisms (P > 0.05). But the frequency of gastrointestinal and nongastrointestinal germs was not significantly differed between squat and sitting toilets (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Totally, according to our findings, it may be concluded that use of sitting toilets should be encouraged to reduce the rate of infection transmission and prevention of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genital infectious diseases.