Promising role of calcium hypochlorite as a disinfectant: an in vitro evaluation regarding its effect on type V dental stone.

AIM The current study has been chosen to evaluate the efficacy of calcium hypochlorite as a disinfecting additive for the gypsum products and its effect on compressive and tensile strength of the set material. It is hypothesized that, the addition of calcium hypochlorite to type V dental stone in sufficient quantity to disinfect the material would have no deleterious effect on compressive or tensile strength. MATERIALS AND METHODS Total of 160 samples made up of type V dental stone were divided broadly into two groups of 80 samples each for the sake of compressive and tensile strength testing in dry and wet conditions: Out of each group, 10 samples without addition of any disinfectant (0% calcium hypochlorite) was compared with other group of 30 samples after adding disinfectant, i.e. each subgroup containing 10 samples each (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% calcium hypochlorite). CONCLUSION Within limitations of this in vitro study it is assumed to prepare type V dental stone that contains a disinfectant, has adequate compressive strength and tensile strength, and can significantly act against a resistant species like Bacillus subtilis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE When calcium hypochlorite was added to dental stone, extra mixing water was required to produce a material of nearly same pouring consistency. The samples, which were put to microbiological tests, showed effective action of disinfectant on Bacillus subtilis. No deleterious effect on compressive or tensile strength could be found after putting the selected samples with calcium hypochlorite.