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Evaluation of a nonthermal plasma needle to eliminate ex vivo biofilms in root canals of extracted human teeth
Author(s) -
Schaudinn C.,
Jaramillo D.,
Freire M. O.,
Sedghizadeh P. P.,
Nguyen A.,
Webster P.,
Costerton J. W.,
Jiang C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international endodontic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.988
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1365-2591
pISSN - 0143-2885
DOI - 10.1111/iej.12083
Subject(s) - root canal , dentistry , biofilm , nonthermal plasma , ex vivo , negative control , sodium hypochlorite , materials science , chemistry , in vivo , biology , medicine , bacteria , traditional medicine , plasma , genetics , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics , organic chemistry
Aim To evaluate the efficacy of a nonthermal plasma ( NTP ) at atmospheric pressure on ex vivo biofilm in root canals of extracted teeth. Methodology Intracanal contents from three teeth with root canal infections were collected, pooled and grown in thirty‐five micro CT ‐mapped root canals of extracted and instrumented human teeth. One group of teeth was treated with NTP , another with 6% Na OC l and one set was left untreated. The intracanal contents from twenty‐seven teeth (nine teeth in each group) were plated on agar and colony forming units were determined. Parametric test of one‐way analysis of variance ( anova ) was used to analyse statistical significance. The remaining teeth were cut open, stained with LIVE / DEAD ® and examined with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results The untreated root canals were covered with biofilm of varying thickness. Treatment with nonthermal plasma decreased the number of viable bacteria in biofilms by one order of magnitude, whilst the Na OC l control achieved a reduction of more than four magnitudes. Both the NTP and the Na OC l treatment results were significantly different from the negative control ( P < 0.05). Conclusion The nonthermal plasma displayed antimicrobial activity against endodontic biofilms in root canals, but was not as effective as the use of 6% Na OC l.