Abstract
Candida has been reported as common among those persons who wear dentures. It is related to such generalized diseases as the dysphagic pneumonia of the elderly aswell as such intraoral diseases as denture stomatitis and root surface caries. Therefore it is important to keep dentures as clean as possible. Dentures are now chemically washed with a denture cleanser in order to prevent the accidental misuse and ingestion of denture cleanser.
Ozone is a gas with a distinctive odor and strong oxidization power, and accordingly it is used for oxidization and deodorization. Since ozone disinfects by means of a process of oxidization, it does not produce any drug-resistant bacteria and harmful chemical substance after use. Ozone is thought to be suitable for washing and disinfecting dentures, because if it is dissolved in water or exists in water as tiny bublles (the ozone bubble method), it gains efficiency with low concentration.
We studied the bactericidal effect employing the ozone bubble method, choosing Candida albicans, well known for having a higher detection rate and pathogenicity than any other Candida bacteria existing in the mouth. The following are the results we obtained:
1. This method showed about the same bactericidal effect in both the standard strain and the clinical isolates.
2. 99% inactivation time: Standard strain (23ppm)-26 min.(41ppm)-19 min.(49ppm)-15min. Clinical isolate from dentures (23ppm) 24 min. From periodontal pocket (23ppm) 28 min. The CT value of 99% inactivation was 661±94 (ppm·min).
Therefore, we conclude from this study that the ozone bubble method was effecient against C. albicans.
