Influence of brushing with antiseptic soap solution on the surface and biological properties of an acrylic denture base resin

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of brushing with specific antiseptic soap solution on the surface (roughness, hardness, and color stability) and biological properties of a specific heat-polymerized denture base resin.

Methods: 189 denture base acrylic resin specimens (10 mm x 1.2 mm) were made and distributed into three groups: sodium hypochlorite 0.5% (SH), Lifebuoy solution 0.78% (LS) and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and were submitted to the brushing cycle for 10 seconds. For each property assessed the sample size was composed of nine specimens. Roughness, hardness, and color stability were assessed before and after the cycle. For the biological properties (biofilm formation and reduction capacity) the colony forming unit and Alamar Blue assays were performed. For this, the specimens were placed separately in a 24-well plate with medium containing C. albicans. The plate was incubated for 48 hours for the formation of mature biofilm. The data were submitted to two-factor ANOVA (roughness and hardness) and one-way ANOVA (color stability and biological properties) and Tukey's post-test (α= 0.05).

Results: The Lifebuoy group did not present a statistical difference (P> 0.05) in relation to the other groups for the evaluated surface properties (roughness, hardness, and color stability). Also, from the colony-formation unit and Alamar Blue assays, there was no statistical difference (P> 0.05) between the groups. Regarding biofilm reduction capacity formed on the samples, the results obtained from the count of colony forming units (CFU/mL) showed a reduction of approximately 1.3 logs in the number of CFU/mL in the Lifebuoy group (µ = 4.78 log¹º) compared to the negative control group (µ = 6.02 log¹º) (P< 0.05). When evaluating the cellular metabolism of C. albicans cells, the experimental group did not show any statistical difference compared to controls (P> 0.05). Brushing with Lifebuoy soap solution did not alter the surface properties of the acrylic resin, and reduced the C. albicans biofilm.

Clinical significance: Brushing removable partial or total dentures can be performed using Lifebuoy liquid disinfectant soap, as a simple, low-cost, and effective method for removing biofilm.