ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of liquid disinfectant soaps for the reduction of microorganisms present on maxillary complete dentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The selected patients (N = 28) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7), and each group underwent all four disinfection treatments in a different order. The disinfection treatments evaluated were: 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (positive control); Dettol liquid soap; Lifebuoy liquid soap; and phosphate-buffered saline solution (negative control). The patients were instructed to immerse their maxillary dentures in the disinfectant solution for 8 hours (overnight) for 7 days, with the solutions in a randomized sequence with a washout period of 1 week between solutions. Biofilm samples of the dental prostheses were obtained before and after each treatment with a sterile swab, and the microbiologic material was diluted and plated in selective media for Candida spp. Colony-forming unit count (CFU/mL) was performed in each group. One-way ANOVA with Welch correction was used for analysis, with Games-Howell post hoc test with a significance level of .05. RESULTS: A 3-log reduction in microorganisms was considered effective compared to baseline. The highest incidence observed was for Candida albicans, which presented with a frequency between 66% and 92%, followed by C tropicalis, with a frequency between 7% and 33%, in all experimental groups. Sodium hypochlorite was able to reduce more than 3 log10 of microorganisms for all patients, showing high antifungal effectiveness for both C albicans and C tropicalis species. Regarding the experimental groups, both liquid soaps (Dettol and Lifebuoy) were effective in reducing the two types of microorganisms. CONCLUSION: Liquid soaps were effective at reducing biofilm and may be an alternative for disinfection of removable partial dentures or complete dentures.
Subject(s)
Disinfectants , Soaps , Candida , Denture, Complete , Disinfection , HumansABSTRACT
Denture stomatitis triggered by Candida species requires better preventive measures. This study evaluated the physical and biological properties of a denture base acrylic resin after immersion in antiseptic soaps. Acrylic resin specimens were prepared and stored in distinct solutions for 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. The solutions were as follows: DW: distilled water at 37°C (control group); DS: cycles of daily immersion in Dettol soap for 8 hours at room temperature, followed by immersion in distilled water for 16 hours at 37°C; PS: cycles of daily immersion in Protex soap, as described for the previous group; LS: cycles of daily immersion in Lifebuoy soap, as described for the DS group. The parameters evaluated at each time point were the following: biofilm formation capacity by Candida albicans and reduction of preformed fungal biofilms, cytotoxicity, surface roughness, hardness, and color change. For the fungal adhesion phase, the type of soap had a statistically significant effect (p = 0.0292), but after 24 hours, no differences were found between solutions or between storage times. Regarding the efficacy of biofilm reduction, there was a significant difference when the groups were compared to each other (p = 0.014). Dettol and Lifebuoy eliminated the preformed biofilm on the specimens. Moreover, all the soaps were classified as non-cytotoxic (on HaCaT cell line) because there was no difference in cell viability between the different groups, except after 21 days, when a decrease in cell viability occurred, regardless of the type of soap. Regarding the roughness, there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the groups. Lifebuoy decreased resin hardness regardless of storage time (p = 0.003). After 21 and 28 days of storage, there was an increase in hardness value, regardless of the type of soap. The specimens' color, according to the National Bureau of Standards values, ranged from 0.27 to 0.58 (i.e., imperceptible or mild color changes). In general, the disinfectant soaps were not able to prevent biofilm formation, but all the soaps were effective in reducing the preformed biofilm. In addition, all soaps were non-cytotoxic and did not change surface roughness, hardness (except Lifebuoy), and color (except Lifebuoy). Therefore, immersion in two antiseptic soaps (Protex and Dettol) may be a cheap and easy procedure for preventing denture stomatitis.
