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TOKYO, Japan: The results of a recently published study have shown that ozone nano-bubble water (NBW3) is very effective against two bacteria that cause periodontitis. The researchers believe that this new antimicrobial agent could be used in the development of new therapies for the inflammatory disease, which affects 15 to 20 per cent of middle-aged adults in its severest form worldwide.
In in vitro experiments, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan tested the effectiveness of NBW3 against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. They found that the levels of both bacteria dropped to below the lower limit of detection after only 30 seconds of exposure.
In addition, they observed that NBW3 had no significant impact on human oral tissue. Using anin vitro human oral tissue model, composed of human-derived epithelial cells, they found only minor decreases in the viability of cells after 24 hours of exposure. Such models are used to test the toxicity and irritation potential of new dental materials and oral care products. According to the researchers, they are more predictive of human responses and more clinically relevant than are animal and monolayer cell culture test systems.
Conventional antibiotic therapies for treating periodontitis hold the risk of several side-effects, such as the development of bacterial resistance and adverse host reactions. However, NBW3 is produced from ozone, which has strong antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi and viruses, and thus does not induce antimicrobial resistance. Ozonated water usually retains its potency for only a short period, but NBW3, which the researchers produced using a patented technique, retains its oxidation ability for more than six months. This stability allows for the bottling and use of NBW3 as a disinfectant.
Although the results of the present study are promising, these in vitro models cannot be directly translated into clinical situations, in which NBW3’s potency may be reduced by dental patients’ saliva. Therefore, further research is needed.
The study, titled “Effects of ozone nano-bubble water on periodontopathic bacteria and oral cells – In vitro studies”, was published in the September issue of the Science and Technology of Advanced Materials journal.
