Wollenschlaeger, Christopher
(2018)
AN EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RETAINER DISINFECTING AGENTS USING A DISK DIFFUSION METHOD.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Orthodontic retainers are essential appliances in the orthodontic profession. After com- pletion of treatment, patients receive a retainer to aid in the retention of teeth. The insertion of the retainer into the oral environment can result in the exposure of the appliance to of an array of microorganisms. Regular use can lead to the accumulation of pathogenic organisms and give rise to the formation of bacterial biofilms. The resultant biofilm formation can lead to odor and adverse effects on the oral cavity and body.
A recurrent conundrum faced by orthodontists is recommending a cleansing protocol. Commonly suggested strategies include physical debridement with a toothbrush or the use of antimicrobial disinfecting agents. One of the most difficult issues facing consumers is selecting an antimicrobial disinfecting agent due to the number of products.
This study proposes to evaluate the inhibition of growth of bacteria (Staphylcoccus au- reus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus mu- tans) using various disinfecting agents; Chlorihexidine Gluconate, Retainer Brite, Smile Saver 1, and Smile Saver 2. Saline will be used as a control. The study will use a disk diffusion protocol to evaluate each disinfecting agents ability to inhibit growth of bacterial species. The study will also evaluate if there is a statistical significance between Smile Saver 1 and Smile Saver 2, which are two previously unresearched disinfectants. It is hypothesized that this study will find the antimicrobial agents to be similar to one another in their ability to reduce and eliminate microbial pathogens.
The results showed that Chlorihexidine Gluconate was able to inhibit the growth of all five bacterial species. Retainer Brite was able to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and E. coli. The smile saver variants only inhibited the growth of S. aureus and E. faecalis.
The following conclusions can be made about the disinfecting agents; (1) All four chemical cleaners displayed some level of bacterial inhibition, (2) Chlorihexidine Gluconate displayed the greatest variety of bacterial inhibition, limiting the growth of all tested bacterial species and (3) There is no statistical difference in antimicrobial inhibition between Smile Saver 1 and Smile Saver 2.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Wollenschlaeger, Christopher | caw118@pitt.edu | caw118 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
12 June 2018 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
18 May 2018 |
| Approval Date: |
12 June 2018 |
| Submission Date: |
21 May 2018 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
34 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Dental Medicine > Dental Science |
| Degree: |
MDS - Master of Dental Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Orthodontics, Retainer, Disinfectant, Disk Diffusion Method |
| Date Deposited: |
12 Jun 2018 21:23 |
| Last Modified: |
12 Jun 2018 21:23 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/34540 |
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