Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct;7(5):829-832.
doi: 10.1002/cre2.432. Epub 2021 May 6.

Dental tray adhesives and their role as potential transmission medium for microorganisms

Oliver Schierz  1 , Henrik Müller  2 , Catalina Suzana Stingu  3 , Sebastian Hahnel  1 , Angelika Rauch  1
Affiliations

Dental tray adhesives and their role as potential transmission medium for microorganisms

Oliver Schierz et al. Clin Exp Dent Res. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the possible ability of dental impression tray adhesives to serve as a transmission medium for bacteria and fungi when reusable adhesive applicators are utilized.

Materials and methods: Ten flasks with tray adhesive were monitored over a period of 12 weeks during clinical use for contamination with bacteria or fungi. Adhesive fluid samples were cultivated on eight different culture media. All grown colonies were identified by using mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Isolates without reliable identification were either identified by Rapid ID 32 API-STREP V3.0 or by sequencing the 16S rRNA genes.

Results: After 4 weeks, bacterial growth was detected on chocolate blood agar plates in five different samples. The bacterial species were identified as Staphylococcus warnerii, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus pasteuri, Ralstonia insidiosa, and Alloiococcus otitidis. After 8 weeks Streptococcus oralis grew on a blood agar plate. In all samples, no fungi were identified.

Conclusions: The disinfectant component of the tested tray adhesive seems to be effective. However, some bacteria survived in the flask for a clinically relevant time, which might result in a potential transmission to a new host.

Keywords: antimicrobial properties; cross-contamination; impression tray adhesive; mass spectrometry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Agar plate, dental tray, reusable brush, and adhesive flask
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Examination procedure of the samples; MALDI‐TOF = laser‐desorption‐ionization‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Sample spreading path over the medium for inoculation using the cap‐attached brush
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bensel, T. , Pollak, R. , Stimmelmayr, M. , & Hey, J. (2013). Disinfection effect of dental impression tray adhesives. Clinical Oral Investigations, 17, 497–502. - PubMed
    1. Clark, A. E. , Kaleta, E. J. , Arora, A. , & Wolk, D. M. (2013). Matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight mass spectrometry: A fundamental shift in the routine practice of clinical microbiology. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 26, 547–603. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cristina, M. L. , Spagnolo, A. M. , Sartini, M. , Dallera, M. , Ottria, G. , Perdelli, F. , & Orlando, P. (2009). Investigation of organizational and hygiene features in dentistry: A pilot study. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, 50, 175–180. - PubMed
    1. Herman, D. A. (1993). A study of the antimicrobial properties of impression tray adhesives. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 69, 102–105. - PubMed
    1. Jervis‐Bardy, J. , Carney, A. S. , Duguid, R. , & Leach, A. J. (2017). Microbiology of otitis media in indigenous Australian children: Review. The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 131, 2–11. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources