Prevotella intermedia has been known as one of the important bacterial species involved in the endodontic infections and various periodontal diseases. Polyphosphate has been widely used to prevent decomposition of food and known to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of gram positive bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of poly phosphate on the growth of Prevotella intermedia, a gram negative bacterium. Prevotella intermedia G8GK3(ATCC 49046) was grown in the presence of polyphosphates with different chain lengths. Inhibitory effect of each polyphosphate, which was added at the beginning or at the early exponential growth phase of Prevotella intermedia, was determined by measuring optical density of the bacterial cells at 540nm, viable cells and lysis of Prevotella intermedia. The results from this study were as follows : 1. Poly phosphate inhibited the growth of Prevotella intermedia. 2. The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) of poly phosphate appeared to be 0.05%. 3. Polyphosphates with chain lengths of 5 and 65 demonstrated the greatest inhibitory effect on the growth of Prevotella intermedia. 4. Polyphosphate was bactericidal to Prevotella intermedia, demonstrating the growth inhibition of the bacterium. 5. Polyphosphate induced lysis of Prevotella intermedia. The overall results suggest that polyphosphate has a bactericidal effect on Prevotella intermedia, causing the lysis of the bacterium.