Sensitization of periodontopathogenic bacteria to killing by light from a low-power laser.

Cultures of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans were treated with a range of photosensitizers and then exposed to light from a 7.3 mW helium/neon laser for up to 80 s. Toluidine blue O (25 micrograms/ml) and methylene blue (25 micrograms/ml) were effective lethal photosensitizers of all 3 target organisms, enabling substantial light dose-related reductions in viable counts. Dihaematoporphyrin ester and aluminium disulphonated phthalocyanine were lethal photosensitizers only of P. gingivalis. In the absence of a photosensitizer, exposure to laser light had no significant effect on the viability of the cultures. If such low doses of light (22 J/cm2) are effective at killing bacteria in vivo, the technique may be useful as a means of eliminating periodontopathogenic bacteria from diseased sites.