Influence of Ozone on Oxiddation of Dental Alloys

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of ozone on the surface of removable partial denture (RPD) alloys to determine its usefulness as a cleaning method for RPDs, since ozone has powerful sterilizing and deodorizing properties. Materials and Methods: Two types of ozone cleaning were used. The quantities of ozone generated by both methods were the same (20 mg/h). In method A, ozone was generated for 10 minutes every 12 hours and in method B, ozone was generated over 24 hours a day. Test specimens of 3 types of dental alloy (Co-Cr, Au-Ag-Pt, and Au-Cu-Ag-Pd) were subjected to different cleaning methods for 7 days and measured in terms of reflectance, surface roughness, and weight. Five different cleaning solutions (three commercial denture cleaners, acid-electrolyzed water with a pH of 2.4, and pure water) were used for comparison with the ozone treatments. Results: No significant changes were detected after treatment of the Co-Cr and Au-Ag-Pt alloys with ozone. Ozone caused a slight change in the Au-Cu-Ag-Pd alloy in terms of reflectance, but the changes were significantly less than those caused by acid-electrolyzed water and one of the commercial denture cleaners. Conclusion: Ozone had little influence on the oxidation of dental alloys.