New Denture Cleaner Uses Hydrogen Water to Kill Harmful Mouth Bacteria
- Authors
- Young-Gyun Song, Sung-Hoon Lee
- Journal
- Journal of Dental Sciences
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jds.2019.01.011
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Denture-Related Infections
- Body System
- Oral
TL;DR
A denture cleaning device using electrolyzed water effectively kills fungus on dentures without significantly damaging them.
Key Finding
The electrolyzed water denture cleaning device effectively reduced Candida albicans biofilm on denture material while causing minimal changes to surface roughness and color, though it did slightly reduce the material's hardness after 150 days of use.
Summary
This study tested a new denture cleaning device that uses electrolyzed water (water treated with electricity to create antimicrobial properties) to clean dentures and kill Candida albicans, a fungus that can grow on denture surfaces. Researchers compared this device to chemical denture cleaners by testing how well each removed the fungus and how they affected the physical properties of denture material over 150 days. Both the electrolyzed water device and chemical cleanser successfully reduced fungus growth, and the electrolyzed water device did not significantly damage the denture surface, though it did slightly reduce the material's hardness.
Practical Takeaway
This laboratory study suggests that electrolyzed water devices may offer a gentler alternative to chemical denture cleaners, particularly for elderly users who might misuse harsh chemicals. However, this research was conducted in a laboratory setting on denture material samples, not in human mouths, so real-world effectiveness and safety would need to be confirmed in human studies. The slight reduction in material hardness over time is a consideration for long-term use that warrants further investigation.
Abstract
Background/purpose: Electrolyzed water has antimicrobial activity against oral microbes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a denture cleaning device that uses electrolyzed water on Candida biofilm on denture base-material and the physical properties of the denture material. Materials and methods: Denture base-resin disks were prepared with Polymethyl methacrylate. After the formation of Candida albicans biofilm on the resin disks, the antimicrobial activity of the denture cleaning device and the chemical cleanser against C. albicans biofilm was compared. The resin disks were also treated with the cleaning device and the chemical cleanser for 150 days, and the physical properties were analyzed by an atomic force microscope, Vickers hardness tester, and colorimeter. Results: The denture cleaning device and the chemical cleanser reduced the levels of C. albicans biofilm on the denture resin. Upon immersing of the resin disks for 150 days, the electrolyzed water of the denture cleaning device did not significantly change the surface roughness of the specimens, but significantly reduced its Vickers hardness compared to the initial value. The color changes of the resin disk were 0.477 ± 0.076, 0.612 ± 0.095 and 0.562 ± 0.096 after treating with tap water, the chemical cleanser, and the denture cleaning device, respectively. Conclusion: The denture cleaning device may be suitable for use by the elderly to clean dentures without side effects caused by the misuse of chemical cleanser.