Treatment of Streptococcus mutans biofilms with a nonthermal atmospheric plasma

A nonthermal atmospheric plasma, designed for biomedical applications, was tested for its antimicrobial activity against biofilm cultures of a key cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans.

The Strep. mutans biofilms were grown with and without 0.15% sucrose. A chlorhexidine digluconate rinse (0.2%) was used as a positive antimicrobial reference. The presence of sucrose and the frequency of plasma application during growth were shown to have a significant effect on the response to treatment and antibacterial activity.

A single plasma treatment for 1 min on biofilms cultured without sucrose caused no re-growth within the observation period. However, with either single or repeated plasma treatments of 1 min, on biofilms cultured with 0.15% sucrose, growth was only reduced.

In summary, there may be a role for nonthermal plasma therapies in dental procedures. Sucrose and associated growth conditions may be a factor in the survival of oral biofilms after treatment.