Abstract
It is important for dentures to be kept clean to maintain the wearer's oral hygiene. Various types of denture cleaners are available on the market. Although they are easy to use, some of them are corrosive to metal framework and some are related to the deterioration of the acrylic resin denture base. The present study examined the utility of the electrolyzed water having excellent bactericidal and virucidal activities for a denture cleaner. The heat-cured acrylic resin denture was experimentally contaminated with 2.5×10^5 Staphylococcus aureus 209P. A commercial cleaner including a foaming agent could remove most of the attached bacteria by 5-minute immersion according to the manufacturer's instruction. On the other hand, the denture was completely sterilized by 1-minute immersion in the electrolyzed water. For the denture lined with a tissue conditioner, it took 10-minute immersion or 5-minute ultrasonic cleaning in the electrolyzed water before no bacteria were detected on the denture while 10^3 order of bacteria still survived in the commercial cleaner. No significant differences were found among the electrolyzed strong acid, weak acid and neutral water. Taking into consideration the superiority of the neutral water to the acid water in terms of shelf life longevity, less offensive odor, less corrosiveness to metal and biological safety, it was suggested that the electrolyzed neutral water would be the most desirable denture cleaner, since it shows excellent sterilization effects in a short time treatment with the least side effects on the resin and metal components. It is also expected to be useful for disinfection in the dental office when the denture or its wearer undergoes dental treatment.
