Acidic Electrolyzed Water and Tooth Dentin Hardness in Lab Tests
Influence of the acidity of electrolyzed water on the microhardness of inner layer dentin
This research was done on cells or tissue in a lab, not in people or animals.
- Evidence type
- Laboratory study (cells or tissue)
- Authors
- Ker-Kong Chen, Ju-Hui Wu, Shin-I. Wei, Je-Kang Du
- Journal
- Journal of Dental Sciences
- Year
- 2019
- PMID
- 31890132
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Participants
- 20
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 5 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Taiwan
TL;DR
Strongly acidic electrolyzed water softens the surface layer of teeth more than neutral electrolyzed water or a common bleach solution.
Key Finding
Strongly acidic electrolyzed water caused significantly greater softening and demineralization of dentin compared to neutral electrolyzed water and sodium hypochlorite, particularly in the outer 25 micrometers of the tooth structure.
Summary
Researchers tested how different types of electrolyzed water (water treated with electricity) affect the hardness of dentin, the material beneath tooth enamel. They soaked tooth samples in strongly acidic electrolyzed water, neutral electrolyzed water, sodium hypochlorite (a common dental disinfectant), or plain water for up to 60 minutes. Strongly acidic electrolyzed water softened the dentin more than the other solutions, especially in the outer layers, while neutral electrolyzed water caused minimal damage similar to sodium hypochlorite.
Practical Takeaway
This laboratory study suggests that if electrolyzed water were to be used as a dental disinfectant, its acidity level would be critical—neutral versions appear safer for tooth structure than acidic versions. However, this is a test-tube study using extracted teeth, not human studies, so it's unclear how these findings would apply to actual dental treatment in living patients.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background/purpose: Electrolyzed water has been identified as an effective disinfectant that could represent as an alternative to sodium hypochlorite. Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether the texture or physical properties of dentin are affected by the application of electrolyzed water…