Plasma Treatment Effects on Oral Candida albicans Biofilms

The objective of this study is to evaluate the plasma treatment effects on oral fungal biofilms. Candida albicans biofilms were developed on the 48-well plate to serve as a model of oral fungal biofilm. The treatment of 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) was used as a positive control compared with plasma treatments. The efficacy of treatments was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The survival percentage of Candida albicans decreased from 52% to 27% as the plasma power increased from 6mA to 8mA and plasma exposure time extended from 2 min to 10 min. Moreover, it was found that there is a synergistic effect of the combination of plasma and CHX treatments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination indicated severe cell damages resulting from plasma treatment. In conclusion, the low-temperature plasma treatment is effective in deactivating Candida albicans biofilms and thus provides a promising alternative to disinfect oral fungal biofilms.