Ozone in dentistry: microbiological effects of gas action depending on the method and the time of application using...

Bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal activity of ozone is generally known and has been exploited for years in industry and medicine. Ozone therapy became an inherent element of the treatment of infection in such fields as surgery, dermatology, cosmetics, and dentistry. Ozone is a gas, so it penetrates very well even into such tissues and spaces that are not easily accessible. Thanks to the property of deep penetration and long ozone presence in tissues after treatment, a long-lasting bactericidal effect is achieved. The action of oxygen radicals is, however, not neutral for the human organism, therefore the use of an appropriate procedure and therapy algorithms is essential.

We decided to confirm the effect of antibacterial activity of ozone applied by means of the Ozonytron device (made by Biozonix) on model strains of Streptococcus salivarius, pneumonia, pyogenes, and agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and epidermidis, using two application patterns developed by us.

We found a statistically significant difference in the size of zones of inhibited bacterial growth on all media depending on the time of action of ozone. In the present paper, the bactericidal activity of ozone in relation to bacterial strains that are most frequently isolated from the oral cavity was confirmed. What is more, two models of application of the gas on the infected medium were compared.

Research on the use of ozone in combatting bacteria typical for dental diseases has shown that the gas has an oxidizing effect on these bacteria and is bactericidal.