Effect of effervescent tablets on removable partial denture hygiene.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of five alkaline peroxide-based effervescent tablets in reducing both biofilms and the food layer adhered on the cobalt-chromium surface.

Methods: Cobalt-chromium metal alloy specimens were contaminated with Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus. After biofilm maturation, the specimens were immersed in Polident 3 Minute, Polident for Partials, Efferdent, Steradent, Corega Tabs or distilled water (control). Residual biofilm rates were determined by colony forming units counts and biofilm biomass. In parallel, to investigate the denture cleaning capability of effervescent tablets, artificially contaminated removable partial dentures were treated with each cleanser. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis followed by Dunn post hoc test or ANOVA followed by Tukey post hoc test (α= 0.05).

Results: None of the hygiene solutions reduced C. albicans biofilm. Efferdent and Corega Tabs promoted reduction of C. glabrata biofilm, while Steradent was favorable against S. aureus biofilm. For S. mutans, lower biofilm rates were observed after immersion in Polident for Partials and Steradent. The effervescent tablets showed good cleaning performance, removing an artificial layer with carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, however, they were not effective in removing aggregated mature biofilm.

Clinical Significance: The different effervescent tablets presented favorable antimicrobial activity against C. glabrata, S. mutans and S. aureus on cobalt-chromium surfaces and showed cleaning capability. However, for an appropriate biofilm control, a complementary method should be evaluated since none of the peroxide-based solutions reduced C. albicans biofilms or substantially removed aggregated biofilm.