Disinfecting the acrylic resin plate using electrolyzed acid water and 2% glutaraldehyde: a comparative microbiological study.

Marked bactericidal activity of the electrolyzed acid water (EAW) and its less undesirable effects on biological tissues and the environment has been successfully utilized in dental practice. A review of literature reveals that not many studies have been performed to determine the disinfection effect of EAW on heat cured acrylic denture bases. The objective of the study is to determine the efficacy of EAW in disinfecting heat cured acrylic resin specimens as compared to the efficacy of disinfecting the specimens using 2% glutaraldehyde. Heat cured acrylic resin plates were immersed in Bacteria suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus and later disinfected using EAW which was produced using a custom made electrolyzing apparatus and 2% glutaraldehyde for different time intervals. The numbers of surviving bacteria were counted. As the control, the bacteria attached on the specimens were counted with out any disinfection treatment. The results obtained were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and post-hoc test. The disinfection potential of 2% glutaraldehyde was better than EAW when the specimens were disinfected for 1 and 3 min. Where as when the disinfection time was increased to 5 min there was no difference between EAW and 2% glutaraldehyde. However considering that the disinfecting time can be easily extended to 5 min, EAW can be effectively used for disinfecting the acrylic denture.