Sensitization of oral bacteria in biofilms to killing by light from a low-power laser

Biofilms of Streptococcus sanguis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans were prepared on the surfaces of agar plates and a number of compounds were screened for their ability to sensitize bacteria in these biofilms to killing by light from a 7.3 mW Helium/Neon (He/Ne) laser. Toluidine blue O and methylene blue enabled detectable killing of all four target organisms after exposure to He/Ne light for 30 s. Aluminium disulphonated phthalocyanine, haematoporphyrin HCl and haematoporphyrin ester were effective photosensitizers of only some of the target organisms. These findings suggest that lethal photosensitization may be an effective means of eliminating periodontopathogenic bacteria from dental plaque.