Comparative evaluation of alkaline ionized water and normal water on oral microbial flora: An in-vitro study.

Background: Various artificial chemical agents have been evaluated over many years with respect to their antimicrobial effect in oral cavity. The gold standard for removal of plaque is usage of chlorhexidine, but it can cause alteration in taste sensation and staining of teeth. Electrolytes and oxidizing water may be useful against microbes, but its clinical application has still not been evaluated. Hence this present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the alkaline ionized water on oral microbial flora.

Materials and methods: Ten non-carious, un-restored and intact freshly extracted human teeth were collected and sectioned using a round bur. Each tooth was sectioned longitudinally in two parts and stored in closed sterile containers which was filled with alkaline ionized water (Group 1) and normal water (Group 2), respectively for 15 days. The microbial growth was analyzed prior to dipping in the solutions, 3 days, 7 days and 15 days. The pH of alkaline ionized water and normal water was evaluated using pH meter before placing teeth in different solutions. Results were analyzed using t-test and the level of significance was set at ≤ 0.05.

Results: No difference in bacterial colony was observed before test and after 3 days among Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. After 7 days and 15 days, statistically significant decrease in bacterial colony count was seen among Group 1 as compared to Group 2 (P ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion: It was then concluded that alkaline ionized water can be effective in reduction of oral microbial flora.