Honors Program

Changemaker Scholars

Date of Award

5-2026

Thesis Professor(s)

Dr. Kendrea Todt, Dr. Sean Fox

Thesis Professor Department

Nursing

Thesis Reader(s)

Ms. Hannah Shipp

Abstract

Policies in healthcare regarding fingernail enhancements have not been supported by current science. This study examined bacterial colony growth on gel nail enhancements, regular nail polish, and bare natural nails to evaluate which condition harbors the least bacterial microbiota. The hypothesis proposed that gel enhancements would demonstrate the lowest bacterial counts compared to regular polish and unpolished nails. This investigation was conducted in the context of a local healthcare system dress code policy permitting only regular nail polish in clinical settings. Six participants volunteered and underwent nail swabbing in a microbiology laboratory using sterile cotton applicators and a neutral solution. One week later, the same participants returned with the same nail condition, and repeat samples were collected. Swabs were cultured on agar plates following serial dilutions ranging from seven- to nine-fold to obtain accurate colony-forming unit counts after incubation. Initial culture results indicated that nails with enhancements (gel or regular polish) exhibited fewer bacterial colonies than bare nail beds. However, follow-up cultures collected one week later demonstrated contradictory findings, with bare nails showing lower bacterial counts compared to enhanced nails. These findings suggest that bacterial colonization may change over time and may be influenced by factors such as nail surface integrity, growth, and maintenance. The inconsistent results highlight the need for further research with a larger sample size to determine the most hygienic nail condition for clinical practice.

Publisher

East Tennessee State University

Document Type

Honors Thesis - Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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