Criteria for selecting materials for dental cuspidors

BUTLER, TERESITA; FERNÁNDEZ LORENZO DE MELE, M

Congreso; IV Reunión de la Región Latinoamericana International Association for Dental Research; 2011

Objetives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness (Ra), chemical composition and susceptibility to form biofilms of different materials used to manufacture the dental cuspidors, and establish criteria for choosing them. Methods: 58 samples were obtained from the external walls (control samples) and from internal walls (close to the drainage of the cuspidors. The cuspidors were made of three different materials: stainless steel, ceramic and opaline. The roughness and surface chemical composition of each sample were analyzed. The adhesion of microorganisms was quantified by colony forming units (UFC/cm2) enumeration of the scrapped biological material and was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and epifluorescence microscopy.Results: Chemical analysis of substrates indicated that the stainless steel was not austenitic (recommended for medical and dental devices) but ferritic. The comparative study of surface roughness showed the following increasing order: stainless steel