Evaluation of Antimicrobial-Antibiofilm Activity of a Hydrogen Peroxide Decontaminating System Used in Dental Unit Water Lines

A dental unit water line (DUWL) equipped with a device designed to automatically and continually flush a bacteriostatic solution of hydrogen peroxide (WHE) and a discontinuous disinfecting system (BIOSTER) was evaluated. In the first instance a preliminary sensitivity test on a large number of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) was tried with a H(2)O(2) range from 100 to 800 ppm. The bacteria frequently reported in DUWL (including Pseudomonas spp, Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., E. coli) and some periodontal pathogens showed a minimum inhibitory concentration from 100 to 300 H(2)O(2 )ppm (also including M. marinum and C. albicans). However, H(2)O(2) did not show any inhibitory effects against: A. actinomycetemcomitans, C. glabrata C. parapsilos, F. nucleatum, M. micros. In a second step, the DUWL was experimentally infected with S. faecalis, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus. After disinfection steps with 3% H(2)O(2), the inhibitory effect on planktonic forms and on sessile biofilm was measured. In a third step, the count of 16S rRNA gene copies by real time PCR at different points of the DUWL described an accrue of bacterial slime in “hot spot” regions characterized by irregular/slow water flux (valves, elbows). However these results suggest that hydrogen peroxide is not only able to inhibit bursts of planktonic bacteria inside the DUWL, but that it could also be effective against sessile biofilm containing heterotrophic microorganisms derived from domestic water line contamination. In addition some oral pathogens could be contaminating and surviving in DUWL

Peer and sibling relationships

One of the most important roles of parents is to help their children learn to relate to peers, and find their place in the world of their peers. Siblings are often the child’s first peers in that they are relatively equal in terms of power, and they also typically engage together in play. Positive relationships with both peers and siblings protect children from adversity. However, problematic peer or sibling relating, including bullying or conflict, can have serious consequences for mental health and behavior. Parenting impacts the development of peer and sibling relationships in similar ways. The aim of this chapter is to review research and theory about how parenting affects these relationships. The paths through which parents influence peer and sibling relationships are explored. Evidence of the effectiveness of parenting interventions to improve children’s peer and sibling relationship issues is examined. It is recommended that future research seeks to further differentiate the interplay of genetics and parenting affecting child outcomes, and that intervention trials examine the impact of interventions on both sibling and peer relationships. To date, most school interventions to address bullying and victimization have involved parents only minimally. There is, however, a great deal of evidence that involvement of parents and families is critical in addressing serious problems in peer, as well as sibling, relationships