Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the antimicrobial properties of a slow release noncorrosive chlorine dioxide with those of sodium dichloroisocyanurate to establish their possible use in the dental settings.
Materials and methods: Disinfectant solutions were prepared according to manufacturers' instructions and tested against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Streptococcus mutans NCTC 1044, Candida albicans ATCC 90028, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 15244 spores, Mycobacterium tuberculosis ATCC 25177, Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium ATCC 25291 and Hepatitis B virus using the Standard quantitative suspension test. The shelf-lives of the disinfectants were also determined.
Results: Both disinfectants killed all the test organisms within 30 seconds. B. subtilis spores were killed in 2 and 2.5 minutes by chlorine dioxide and sodium dichloroisocya nurate respectively. When diluted solutions of these disinfectants were stored in screw cap bottles, they retained their activity for at least 30 days.
Conclusions: Chlorine dioxide and sodium dichloroisocyanurate containing disinfectants can be used in the denta settings for surfaces and heat sensitive instruments. However, chlorine dioxide is advantageous because it is non-corrosive and the effective concentration is lower than that recommended for sodium dichloroisocyanurate.