Preliminary investigation of the antibacterial efficacy of a handheld Plasma Gun source for endodontic procedures

• Published in: Clinical plasma medicine Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 77 - 86
• Main Authors: Simoncelli, E, Barbieri, D, Laurita, R, Liguori, A, Stancampiano, A, Viola, L, Tonini, R, Gherardi, M, Colombo, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.12.2015
• Subjects: Advanced Basic Science; Antibacterial efficacy; Atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas; Endodontic procedures; Internal Medicine; Plasma Gun; Tooth root canal; Tooth root canal; Endodontic procedures; Atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas; Plasma Gun; Antibacterial efficacy
• ISSN: 2212-8166; 2212-8166
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cpme.2015.11.001

Abstract The investigation of the efficiency of a handheld Plasma Gun (PG) in the decontamination of tooth root canals is here reported. The antibacterial efficacy of the PG was first assessed on Enterococcus faecalis contaminated agar plates to determine optimal operating conditions that were then quantitatively evaluated treating contaminated liquid suspensions. Moreover, two different procedures for the inactivation of bacteria in realistic tooth models, resembling procedures conventionally adopted in endodontic practice, were investigated: (A) irrigation of contaminated tooth models with plasma activated water (indirect treatment) produced using the PG and (B) direct exposure of the contaminated tooth models to the plasma plume produced by the PG (direct treatment). The experiments were performed with the root canal model both in wet (root canal filled with bacteria suspension) and in dry (root canal contaminated and dried) conditions. From the obtained results, the direct treatment under dry conditions turned out to be the most effective, leading to a bacterial load mean reduction of 4.1.