Streptococci biofilm decontamination on teeth by low-temperature air plasma of dc corona discharges

Non-thermal plasmas of atmospheric pressure air direct current corona discharges were investigated for potential applications in dental medicine. The objective of this ex vivo study was to apply cold plasmas for the decontamination of Streptococci biofilm grown on extracted human teeth, and to estimate their antimicrobial efficiency and the plasma's impact on the enamel and dentine of the treated tooth surfaces. The results show that both positive streamer and negative Trichel pulse coronas can reduce bacterial population in the biofilm by up to 3 logs in a 10 min exposure time. This bactericidal effect can be reached faster (within 5 min) by electrostatic spraying of water through the discharge onto the treated tooth surface. Examination of the tooth surface after plasma exposure by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy did not show any significant alteration in the tooth material composition or the tooth surface structures.