Microwave radiation is effective at disinfecting dental stone surfaces without changing their physical properties.

General dentistry · 2017 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 6615

For E. coli and C. albicans, 3, 5, and 7 minutes of microwave exposure were effective at sterilizing specimens. For S. aureus, sterilization was achieved with 5 and 7 minutes, while 3 minutes left colonies in 10/20 (50%) Petri dishes. No statistically signifi…

Study snapshot

PublicationGeneral dentistry · 2017

Study typeother

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of different microwave radiation regimens for disinfection of type IV dental stone surfaces and to assess the influence of these regimens on surface roughness and dimensional change following disinfection. Three hundred cylindrical (20 × 2-mm) test specimens were made in type IV stone and divided into subgroups of 20 according to the microorganisms tested (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, or Candida albicans) and the 900-W microwave radiation protocol (cycles of 3, 5, or 7 minutes; a positive control; or a negative control). To test physical changes, 80 test specimens were made with the same dimensions except that they had 2 parallel and symmetrical indentations measuring 8 × 4 mm. These specimens were divided into 4 subgroups of 20 each (a subgroup for each radiation time and a negative control). The mean dimensional change and roughness data were analyzed by mixed models for repeated measures and Tukey-Kramer tests. Disinfection was analyzed with descriptive statistics. For E coli and C albicans, all radiation times proved effective at sterilizing the test specimens. For S aureus, sterilization was achieved with 5 and 7 minutes of exposure; however, colonies were observed in 10 Petri dishes (50%) exposed to 3 minutes of microwave radiation. No statistically significant difference in dimensional change or surface roughness was observed for any radiation regimen (P > 0.05).

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeother

Effect directionmixed

PopulationNot supplied

Sample size300

Exposuremicrowave · cycles of 3, 5, or 7 minutes

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Disinfection/sterilization of type IV dental stone surfaces (S. aureus, E. coli, C. albicans)
Surface roughness after disinfection
Dimensional change after disinfection

Limitations

Frequency of microwave radiation not reported
Exposure metric beyond power (e.g., field strength/SAR) not reported
In vitro specimen study (dental stone), not a human health study
Disinfection outcomes analyzed with descriptive statistics (per abstract)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "microwave radiation (900 W protocol)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "cycles of 3, 5, or 7 minutes"
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": 300,
  "outcomes": [
    "Disinfection/sterilization of type IV dental stone surfaces (S. aureus, E. coli, C. albicans)",
    "Surface roughness after disinfection",
    "Dimensional change after disinfection"
  ],
  "main_findings": "For E. coli and C. albicans, 3, 5, and 7 minutes of microwave exposure were effective at sterilizing specimens. For S. aureus, sterilization was achieved with 5 and 7 minutes, while 3 minutes left colonies in 10/20 (50%) Petri dishes. No statistically significant differences in dimensional change or surface roughness were observed across radiation regimens (P > 0.05).",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency of microwave radiation not reported",
    "Exposure metric beyond power (e.g., field strength/SAR) not reported",
    "In vitro specimen study (dental stone), not a human health study",
    "Disinfection outcomes analyzed with descriptive statistics (per abstract)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "microwave radiation",
    "disinfection",
    "sterilization",
    "dental stone",
    "surface roughness",
    "dimensional change",
    "Staphylococcus aureus",
    "Escherichia coli",
    "Candida albicans"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: Not supplied
PubMed: 28253181

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