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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2003, p. 3327-3332, Vol. 69, No. 6
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.6.3327-3332.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Microbiological Evaluation of a Range of Disinfectant Products To Control Mixed-Species Biofilm Contamination in a Laboratory Model of a Dental Unit Water System

J. T. Walker,1* D. J. Bradshaw,1,{dagger} M. R. Fulford,2 and P. D. Marsh1,3

Health Protection Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG,1 Shepton Mallet BA4 5BE,2 Leeds Dental Institute, Leeds LS2 9LU, United Kingdom3

Received 24 October 2002/ Accepted 7 March 2003

Dental unit water system (DUWS) tubing harbors complex multispecies biofilms that are responsible for high microbial levels at the distal outlet. The aim of this study was to use an established biofilm laboratory model to simulate biofouling of DUWS to evaluate practical, cost-effective, and evidence-based methods of microbial decontamination. Reproducible biofilms were developed in the model over 14 days; decontamination was assessed using total viable counts (TVC) and microscopic-image analysis techniques to view the inner surface of tubing. Flushing did not reduce the biofilm coverage or TVC. Combizyme and ozone did not completely eliminate the viable bacteria (70 and 65% reduction in biofilm TVC, respectively), nor did they remove the biofilm (45 and 57% reduction in biofilm coverage, respectively). Chlorhexidine and Bio2000 (active agent: ethanol and chlorhexidine), Tegodor and Gigasept Rapid (aldehyde based), and Grotanol (hydroxide based) completely eliminated the TVC but did not completely remove biofilm (31, 53 33, 34, and 64.9% reduction of biofilm coverage, respectively). Other products including Grotanol Flussig (phenol based), Betadine (povidone-iodine based), Alpron (chlorite based), and the hydroxide-containing products Sporklenz, Sterilex Ultra, Dialox, Sterilox, Sanosil, Oxigenal, and Grotanat Bohrerbad resulted in a 100% reduction in the biofilm TVC and a >95% reduction in biofilm coverage. The study demonstrated that while many disinfectants achieve a sufficient reduction in TVC they may not necessarily remove unwanted biofilm from the tubing surfaces as tested in this laboratory-controlled biofilm model.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Health Protection Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0) 1980 612643. Fax: 44 (0) 1980 612731. E-mail: jimmy.walker{at}hpa.org.uk.

{dagger} Present address: Biosciences, Quest International, Ashford, Kent TN24 0LT, United Kingdom.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2003, p. 3327-3332, Vol. 69, No. 6
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.6.3327-3332.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Bartoloni, J. A., Porteous, N. B., Zarzabal, L. A. (2006). Measuring the validity of two in-office water test kits. Journal of the American Dental Association 137: 363-371 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schel, A. J., Marsh, P. D., Bradshaw, D. J., Finney, M., Fulford, M. R., Frandsen, E., Ostergaard, E., ten Cate, J. M., Moorer, W. R., Mavridou, A., Kamma, J. J., Mandilara, G., Stosser, L., Kneist, S., Araujo, R., Contreras, N., Goroncy-Bermes, P., O'Mullane, D., Burke, F., O'Reilly, P., Hourigan, G., O'Sullivan, M., Holman, R., Walker, J. T. (2006). Comparison of the Efficacies of Disinfectants To Control Microbial Contamination in Dental Unit Water Systems in General Dental Practices across the European Union. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 1380-1387 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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