Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the antimicrobial properties of an enzymatic caries treatment solution (SFC-V) against cariogenic bacteria.
Methods: The antimicrobial action of SFC-V was evaluated against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus paracasei. A buffer solution at the same pH as SFC-V (pH=2.2) served as the control. Time-kill experiments were performed in triplicate at 37°C by adding 100µl of concentrated cell suspensions (approx.109 CFU/ml) to 900µl of SFC-V or controls. After 1, 2 and 5min intervals, 100µl samples were removed and mixed with nutrient broth to terminate the reaction. Control experiments showed that no further decrease in CFU/ml occurred thereafter. Serial dilutions were plated in duplicates on agar plates and incubated anaerobically for 3d.The antimicrobial efficacy was calculated as the log10-reduction in CFU/ml. Two sample t-tests were used for statistical analysis, statistical significance being taken as p<0.05.
Results: SFC-V quantitatively and highly significantly (p<0.01) killed S. mutans and L. paracasei within 2 min. The reduction was >log10 5 or >99.999% for both strains. Controls did not significantly reduce levels of either S. mutans or L. paracasei within the same time period (p=0.39 and p=0.14 respectively).
Tab.: Antibacterial action of SFC-V versus control. Means (sd):
|
t [min] |
S. mutans |
L. paracasei | ||
|
|
SFC-V |
Control |
SFC-V |
Control |
|
1 |
>4.8 |
-0.10 (0.13) |
>4.7 |
-0.07 (0.51) |
|
2 |
>5.0 |
0.27 (0.57) |
>5.0 |
0.27 (0.33) |
|
5 |
>5.0 |
1.25 (0.69) |
>5.0 |
1.46 (1.00) |
Conclusion: The enzymatic caries removal solution SFC-V had a bactericidal effect against suspensions of microorganisms related to caries. This indicated that SFC-V has the potential to kill bacteria during caries removal.