The Influence Of Ozonised Water On The Epithelial Wound Healing Process In The Oral Cavity

Andreas Filippi
Clinic of Oral Surgery, -Radiology and Oral Medicine University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 3, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland

Abstract In a placebo-controlled, randomised double blind study the healing process of three identical wounds of the oral mucosa in 30 patients was examined planimetrically, immunohistochemically and micromorphologically. One third of the wounds were irrigated without pressure every day using ozonised water (concentration 11-12 µg ozone/ml water), the next third using water, the last third remained without treatment. The application of ozonised water clearly showed an acceleration of wound healing within the first 48 hours, resulting in earlier epithelial wound closure after 7 days.

Introduction

The relevant effects of ozone and their use in oromaxillary medicine have been subject to detailed study in the last years, the main question being if ozonised water could replace water disinfection in dental units (5, 6, 10). Practicability and toxicological aspects were also investigated (7, 9). Amongst the microbiological use of ozonised water, there often are suggestions of facilitation of wound healing in the literature (18, 20, 22). Under the influence of ozone improved rheological properties (1, 23), activated cellular metabolism (19), raised intracellular ATP-concentrations (14) and expression of cytokines relevant to healing, especially Transforming Growth Factor TGF-β1 (3) were observed. This study was designed to give some initial clinical experimental data on the effect of ozonised water on epithelial wound healing, given the fact that statistically substantiated investigations in this matter have not been established to this date.