Biofilm-Resistant Dental Unit Water Lines

这项拟议的研究将研究用一种新型但廉价的单线态氧光敏剂来修饰牙科单位水线。利用低功率可见光将水中的溶解氧提升为单线态氧。通常从房间光线进入半透明管道的光线应该是足够的。长期以来，单线态氧一直被认为是一种有效的消毒剂。这项第一阶段的研究将证实，最常用于牙科单位水管的聚氨酯酯管可以用光敏剂进行化学修饰。第二种形式的管材，基于聚氯乙烯，也将使用相同的化学物质来生产，以增加生产有用产品的可能性。将考察化学过程和单线态氧对油管材料的影响，以及油管中使用的增塑剂对光敏剂的影响。将对光敏剂的照明要求进行横断面和横向调查。由于需要如此少量的光，半透明管可用于将光分布到牙科单元的阴影区域。在每个阶段，油管将受到污染水的影响，并对生物膜的发展进行评估。

The proposed research will investigate the modification of Dental unit water lines with a novel yet inexpensive photosensitizer for singlet oxygen. The dissolved oxygen in the water is promoted to singlet oxygen using low power visible light. The light that normally passes into the translucent tubing from room light should be sufficient. Singlet oxygen has long been known as a potent disinfectant. This Phase I research will verify that polyurethane ester tubing, that which is most commonly used for Dental unit water lines, may be chemically modified with the photosensitizer. A second form of tubing, based on PVC, also will be produced using the same chemistry to increase the probability of a useful product. The effects of the chemical process and singlet oxygen on the tubing material and the effects of the plasticizers used in the tubing on the photosensitizer will be examined. The lighting requirements for the photosensitizer will be investigated both cross-sectionally and laterally. Since such a small amount of light is required, the translucent tubing may be used to distribute the light into shaded regions of the Dental unit. At each stage, tubing will be subjected to contaminated water and evaluated for the development of biofilm.