Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 8.43
Hairline plasma in a prepared root canal of a human tooth. (From Bussiahn,
R. et al.,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
, 96, 143701, 2010.)
In a first clinical trial, for a number of patients (36) their chronic wounds were
treated by nonthermal argon plasma torch. An essential decrease of the bacterial
load was observed; the wound healing time was clearly reduced [280]. In another in
vivo trial, the antitumor effect of a nonthermal atmospheric plasma treatment using a
FE-DBD was studied successfully on a U87-luc glioma tumor of mice [281].
A problem of dentistry is the effective inactivation and removal of biofilms on
tooth and implant surfaces as well as the treatment of the root canal after irreversible
damage of the pulp by infection. This region is difficult to access for disinfection by
conventional methods. The hairline plasma filament penetrates deep in the root canal
and provides good chances to kill there residual bacteria [273] (Figure 8.43).
However, despite promising in vivo experiments and first clinical trials, a careful
and comprehensive characterization of biological effects of atmospheric pressure
plasma sources using a broad spectrum of cell as well as microorganism-based in vitro
models is indispensable to guarantee safety and effectiveness of plasma applications
and to explore innovative therapeutic options [262,282].
8.2.3.5.4 Conclusions
Plasma medicine in many aspects is a new field and it will take several years before
it can be well established for special applications. Clear differences between plasma
medicine, that is, the treatment by cold plasmas, and the conventional methods could
