In vitro comparison of the effectiveness of three surface disinfectants

Choosing a general purpose surface disinfectant for the dental office environment is difficult because of the wide range of products available, varying claims by manufacturers and contradictory reports in the literature regarding product efficacy. This study tested the antimicrobial effectiveness of diluted-for-use O-phenyl-phenol (Omni), didecyl dimethyl ammonium (Basic G) and isopropanol (Virahol). Products were tested for antimicrobial activity at 0, 12 and 24 hours, 3, 6 and 8 days. O-phenyl-phenol demonstrated essentially no antibacterial effect against any of eleven test microorganisms. Didecyl dimethyl ammonium and the isopropanol reagent both demonstrated statistically significant killing activity against all organisms. More importantly, these two products maintained their antimicrobial activity up to 8 days after preparation.