Cytotoxicity of orthodontic materials assessed by survival tests in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The aim of this study was to assess the cytotoxicity of orthodontic materials (brackets, wires, resin, elastomers and silver solder) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. The induction of cytotoxicity was assessed by two different tests using the wild-type S. cerevisiae strain FF18733: (1) direct exposure to orthodontic materials in YPD broth, and (2) exposure to artificial commercial saliva pre-treated with orthodontic materials. Only the silver solder was tested in mutant S. cerevisiae strains to investigate the origin of the observed cytotoxicity. Colony forming units per mL counts were carried out in all experiments and compared to controls to detect significant survival differences. The results showed that only the silver solder induced significant cytotoxicity, which might have occurred via oxidative stress, although this mechanism is not completely understood. Moreover, S. cerevisiae proved to be a reliable and useful model microorganism for evaluating the cytotoxicity of clinical materials.