Korean J Dent Mater.  2024 Mar;51(1):15-28. 10.14815/kjdm.2024.51.1.15.

Effects of low-frequency positive square wave voltage on putative periodontal pathogen Aggregatibactor actinomycetemcomitans

• Kim HM
• Park JH
• Jeon YM
• Kim JG
• Jang YS
• Lee MH
• Bae TS

• KMID: 2555448
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14815/kjdm.2024.51.1.15

Abstract

The extremely low frequency-electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) refers to the frequency range of 0-300 Hz. It has been reported that it causes biological effects on cell survival, growth, and function. Structural changes were observed in the cell membranes of bacteria exposed to a certain intensity of ELF-EMF, indicating that exposure of bacteria to ELF-EMF can directly affect the cell membrane and affect the survival and growth of bacteria. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the application of low frequency square wave positive voltages on Aggregatibactor actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), a putative pathogen of periodontal disease. A square wave positive voltage output of 20 V or less at low frequency (0-300 Hz) was applied to A. actinomycetemcomitans in a range of 60 minutes. Changes in the population of bacteria were observed by absorbance measurement, colony forming unit (CFU/ml) evaluation, and high-resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy (HR FE-SEM). The results show that the most effective offset and frequency in inhibiting bacterial growth are 0.7V and 7.83 Hz (Schumann resonance). As the applied time increased and the voltage increased, it was effective in inhibiting bacterial growth. These results led to the conclusion that bacterial growth can be inhibited even at low frequencies below 10 Hz, and it was experimentally proven that the frequency, voltage setting, and exposure time of ELF-EMF have a significant effect on reducing the growth of A. actinomycetemcomitans.

Keyword

A. actinomycetemcomitans; Extremely low frequency-electromagnetic field; Schumann resonance