Control of biofilms to control caries

Download or read book Control of biofilms to control caries written by Jin Xiao and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-12-11 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dental caries, a biofilm-mediated multifactorial dynamic disease, is identified as a type of global public health problem. Microbes including commensals and opportunistic cariogenic pathogens such as Streptococcus mutants embedded within an extracellular matrix form a highly organized biofilm 3D structure. Homeostasis of oral biofilm plays a vital role during caries development according to the ecological plaque hypothesis. Under unfavorable conditions such as excessive sugar intake, an excess of acid is produced by biofilm which resulted in an acid-induced selection, promoting the growth of acidogenic and aciduric microbes including opportunistic cariogenic bacteria. The transition from eubiosis to imbalance finally promotes tooth hard tissue destruction. Thus, controlling biofilms is key to controlling caries. Though caries has been studied for decades, the current situation of this disease is not optimistic. From the perspective of biofilm, firstly, there is a lack of in-depth analysis of pathogenic mechanisms. Besides, mature biofilms are mechanically hard to eliminate and much more resistant to antimicrobial agents than bacterioplankton. Moreover, materials that filling of decayed teeth are short of antimicrobial activity which contributes to secondary caries.