Current methods of dental biofilm removal are predominantly mechanical and are not effective in removing it from irregular surfaces in the mouth. Cavitation occurs around dental ultrasonic scalers and may be a more efficient and less damaging technique. Previous work has failed to quantify the cavitation bubble dynamics around ultrasonic scalers and its effects. The aim was to develop imaging and analysis protocols to analyse the cavitation and to investigate its ability to disrupt biofilms and deliver sub-micron particles into dentine. High speed imaging was used to characterise cavitation. Its effect on biofilm removal and dentinal tubule occlusion was studied using electron microscopy and x-ray micro computed tomography. We are able to demonstrate that cavitation occurs at the free end of scaler tips and increases with power and vibration amplitude. Biofilm can effectively be removed from dental implant surfaces using this cavitation. It can also be used to transport sub-micron particles further into dentinal tubules. The results show that ultrasonic scalers could be optimised for non-contact use and improved removal of plaque from the teeth. The protocols established in this study can be applied to future studies for quantitative investigation of biofilm growth and removal and analysis of cavitation dynamics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:715502 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Vyas, Nina |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7338/ |
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