Current and Future Applications to Control Polymicrobial Biofilms Associated with Oral Disease

• Published in: Antibiofilm Strategies pp. 399 - 440
• Main Authors: Zilm, Peter, Weyrich, Laura S., Bright, Richard, Gatej, Simona, Rossi-Fedele, Giampiero, Selbach, Sabine, Ketagoda, Don Hashan Kevin, Alani, Aws, Lekkas, Dimitra, Vasilev, Krasimir
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing
• Series: Springer Series on Biofilms
• Subjects: D-amino acids; Dental caries; Denture stomatitis; Endodontic infections; Microbiome; Oral microbiome transplantation; Periodontal disease; Polymicrobial biofilm; Probiotics; Quorum sensing; Silver nanoparticles
• ISBN: 3031109910; 9783031109911
• ISSN: 1863-9607; 1863-9615
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-10992-8_16

In 1683, Antony van Leeuwenhoek made drawings of “little animals” taken from scrapings from the teeth observed under his newly invented microscope. As such, oral biofilms were the first studied polymicrobial biofilms. The oral environment is a complex bio-system that consists of up to 800 different bacterial species. Collectively referred to as the oral microbiota, the ecosystem has distinct environments that are affected by inter alia, redox potential, pH, and saliva flow. Oral diseases are primarily the result of a shift in oral biofilm homeostasis to dysbiosis as the microbial composition of the biofilm reacts to changes in the local environment. These changes lead to an imbalance in biofilm composition as low-level commensal organisms proliferate in response to exposure to dietary sugars, acids, poor saliva flow, or an abnormal host inflammatory response. Here, we describe current clinical treatments for dental caries, periodontal and endodontic diseases, and denture stomatitis. We also discuss the advantage of fluoride and the use of oral antiseptics as adjuncts to clinical intervention. The use of new innovative treatments such as D-amino acids, quorum sensing inhibitors, probiotics, and oral microbiome transplantation is also discussed along with nanotechnology and advances in endodontics that will influence modern dentistry.