Advancing antimicrobial strategies for managing oral biofilm infections

• Published in: International journal of oral science Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 28 - 11
• Main Authors: Jiao, Yang, Tay, Franklin R., Niu, Li-na, Chen, Ji-hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.10.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 692/700/3032/3127; 692/700/3032/3150; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use; Antimicrobial agents; Bacterial Infections - drug therapy; Biofilms; Biofilms - drug effects; Clinical trials; Dentistry; Drug tolerance; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medicine; Mouth - microbiology; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Orthopedics; Photodynamic therapy; Plankton; Planktonic cells; Review; Review Article; Surgical Orthopedics
• ISSN: 1674-2818; 2049-3169; 2049-3169
• DOI: 10.1038/s41368-019-0062-1

Effective control of oral biofilm infectious diseases represents a major global challenge. Microorganisms in biofilms exhibit increased drug tolerance compared with planktonic cells. The present review covers innovative antimicrobial strategies for controlling oral biofilm-related infections published predominantly over the past 5 years. Antimicrobial dental materials based on antimicrobial agent release, contact-killing and multi-functional strategies have been designed and synthesized for the prevention of initial bacterial attachment and subsequent biofilm formation on the tooth and material surface. Among the therapeutic approaches for managing biofilms in clinical practice, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy has emerged as an alternative to antimicrobial regimes and mechanical removal of biofilms, and cold atmospheric plasma shows significant advantages over conventional antimicrobial approaches. Nevertheless, more preclinical studies and appropriately designed and well-structured multi-center clinical trials are critically needed to obtain reliable comparative data. The acquired information will be helpful in identifying the most effective antibacterial solutions and the most optimal circumstances to utilize these strategies.