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An Oxymetazoline-Based Nasal Solution Removes Bacteria-Blood Debris on Dental Surfaces and Has Antimicrobial Activity
Robert S Jones1, Morgan Annina Pride2, Dhiraj Kumar3
1Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Background:
An over-the-counter vasoconstrictive nasal solution with oxymetazoline (NS-OXY, 0.05%) has the potential to be used as a dental pulpal hemostatic medicament. A molecular engineering approach examined NS-OXY and its molecular constituent's antimicrobial and blood biomass removal efficacy.
Methods:
An ex vivo cavity model was developed where standardized prepared teeth were exposed overnight to a model dentinal caries pathogen, S. mutans, and then exposed to sheep's blood for 10 min, which simulated a pulpal exposure. Cavity preparations were rinsed with OXY (0.05%), benzalkonium chloride (BKC-0.025%), NS-OXY (with OXY-0.05% and BKC), ferric sulfate (20%;ViscoStat, FS), and distilled water (DI). For examining the bactericidal effect of NS-OXY, a disk diffusion antimicrobial assay was used where S. mutans was grown (20 h) on brain heart infusion (BHI) w/0.5% glucose agar plates and exposed to the treatment groups.
Results:
NS-OXY-treated samples had a lower residual bacterial or blood biomass than FS (p = 0.003). The diffusion test showed that NS-OXY, BKC, and FS had zones of inhibition greater than 10 mm, with NS-OXY having higher activity against S. mutans than FS (p = 0.0002), but lower than BKC (p = 0.0082).
Conclusions:
NS-OXY may be considered as a dental hemostatic agent after traumatic and carious pulpal exposure owing to NS-OXY's antimicrobial and vasoconstrictive properties.
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