Control of microbial contamination with commercially available cleaning solutions

The elimination of cross-contamination from operatory to laboratory is required for effective infection control. This study determined whether microbial cross-contamination occurs during cleaning of dental prostheses with an ultrasonicator and examined ways to reduce or eliminate the contamination that might occur. The antimicrobial activities of a temporary cement remover and tartar and stain remover were compared with deionized water and a known strong antimicrobial agent. All solutions were assessed without and with ultrasonication. The microbicidal strains were cultured in brain-heart infusion broth, with and without acrylic resin slabs, and the organisms were killed either without or with sonication and without or with acrylic resin slabs. Further testing with natural plaque-contaminated denture materials is warranted.