The purpose of this study was to examine the biofi lm removing and antimicrobial effects of microbubbled tap water and other functional water. The biofi lm removal test showed that the activity of microbubbled tap water against the biofi lm of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans was signifi cantly higher than that of ordinary tap water (p<0.01). When the antimicrobial activities of two types of functional water were compared, the activity of electrolyzed hypochlorite water was signifi cantly stronger than that of the ozonated water (p<0.01). The antimicrobial effect of the electrolyzed hypochlorite water was increased in the microbubbled form, and was stronger than microbubbled tap water. The same results were obtained not only for biofi lms, but also for planktonic microbes. Our results demonstrated that the microbubbled water showed strong biofi lm removing effects. Moreover, the application of functional water, such as electrolyzed hypochlorite microbubbled water was effective for both removing and sterilizing biofi lms.

Orthodontic appliances often cause oral diseases such as dental caries and gingivitis due to the attachment of an oral biofilm. However, there are few reliable methods to remove the biofilm from the orthodontic appliances. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of microbubbled water on the removal of biofilms made with Streptococcus mutans or Candida albicans on orthodontic appliances. The orthodontic appliances with biofilm were immersed with microbubbled water and the remaining biofilm on the appliances was detected and measured using a micro-plate reader and an absorbance meter. The microbubbled water had a sufficient effect on the removal of biofilm from orthodontic appliances. The effects of microbubbled water were significantly higher than those of tap water (S. mutans: p<0.05, C. albicans: p<0.01). The results of this study suggest that microbubbled water is effective in the removal of biofilm from the mouth of orthodontic patients.

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