Oral Biofilm-A Review (original) (raw)

Biofilms-The Unforgiving Film in Dentistry (Clinical Endodontic Biofilms)

Dentistry, 2012

It is evident that oral microorganisms have the capacity to respond and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Individual microorganisms are able to sense and process the chemical information from the environment and thereby adjust their phenotypic properties. The term biofilm is used to indicate the presence of a film of condensed microorganisms on any surface. Bacterial condensations on the walls of infected root canals have been observed suggesting that mechanisms for biofilm formation also exist inside the root canal space. A mature biofilm is a metabolically active community of microorganisms where individuals share duties and benefits. A growing body of knowledge suggests that organisms in biofilms assume a stronger pathogenic potential than those in a planktonic state. From these aspects, the formation of biofilms carries particular clinical significance because not only host defense mechanisms, but also therapeutic efforts including chemical and mechanical anti-microbial treatment measures, have a most difficult task to deal with organisms that are gathered in a biofilm. Such bacterial aggregations have been thought to be the cause of therapy-resistant apical periodontitis. The aim of this communication is therefore to give an overview of the biofilm concept and to discuss how it may apply to endodontic infections.

Endodontic Biofilm - An Enigma to the dentist : A review article

Journal of Current Medical Research and Opinion

Biofilm can be defined as a sessile multi-cellular microbial community characterized by cells that are firmly attached to a surface and enmeshed in a self produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances.1,2 These are very prevalent in the apical root canals of teeth with primary and post-treatment apical periodontitis.3 It can be categorised as intracanal biofilms, extra radicular biofilms, periapical biofilms and biomaterial centered infections.4 The infected root canal harbors a polymicrobial population of aerobic, anaerobic, Gram-positive, and Gram-negative bacteria in a biofilm mode of growth. Bacterias involved are E. faecalis, Coagulase–negative Staphylococcus, S. aureus, Streptococci, P.aeruginosa, fungi, F. nucleatum, P. gingivalis, T. forsythensis, Actinomyces species and P. Propionicum. These are commonly isolated by culture, microscopy, immunological methods and molecular biology methods.3 The microbial communities grown in biofilm are remarkably difficult to eradic...

Microbiology of Dental Biofilms and Its Significance in Oral health : Review

Microbial biofilms are complex communities of bacteria and are common in the human body and in the environment. Many, if not most bacteria which inhabit the oral cavity grow as a biofilm on the non-shedding surfaces of the teeth. Therefore the ability to adhere to the oral surfaces and to grow within a biofilm will give these bacteria a significant advantage in this environment due to the advantages of the biofilm mode of growth, In recent years, dental plaque has been identified as a biofilm, and the structure, microbiology, and pathophysiology of dental biofilms have been described. The nature of the biofilm enhances the component bacteria's resistance (D. Dufour et. al, 2012) to both the host's defense system and antimicrobials. If not removed regularly, the biofilm undergoes maturation, and the resulting pathogenic bacterial complex can lead to dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. In addition, dental biofilm, especially subgingival plaque in patients with periodontitis, has been associated with various systemic diseases (Thomas JG, Nakaishi LA, 2006) and disorders, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, respiratory disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes .

Biofilm in endodontics: A review

Journal of International Society of Preventive and Community Dentistry, 2015

Endodontic disease is a biofilm-mediated infection, and primary aim in the management of endodontic disease is the elimination of bacterial biofilm from the root canal system. The most common endodontic infection is caused by the surface-associated growth of microorganisms. It is important to apply the biofilm concept to endodontic microbiology to understand the pathogenic potential of the root canal microbiota as well as to form the basis for new approaches for disinfection. It is foremost to understand how the biofilm formed by root canal bacteria resists endodontic treatment measures. Bacterial etiology has been confirmed for common oral diseases such as caries and periodontal and endodontic infections. Bacteria causing these diseases are organized in biofilm structures, which are complex microbial communities composed of a great variety of bacteria with different ecological requirements and pathogenic potential. The biofilm community not only gives bacteria effective protection against the host's defense system but also makes them more resistant to a variety of disinfecting agents used as oral hygiene products or in the treatment of infections. Successful treatment of these diseases depends on biofilm removal as well as effective killing of biofilm bacteria. So, the fundamental to maintain oral health and prevent dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis is to control the oral biofilms. From these aspects, the formation of biofilms carries particular clinical significance because not only host defense mechanisms but also therapeutic efforts including chemical and mechanical antimicrobial treatment measures have the most difficult task of dealing with organisms that are gathered in a biofilm. The aim of this article was to review the mechanisms of biofilms' formation, their roles in pulpal and periapical pathosis, the different types of biofilms, the factors influencing biofilm formation, the mechanisms of their antimicrobial resistance, techniques to identify biofilms.

The Pathophysiology of Oral Biofilms and it’s relation to Initial Gum Disease and Caries

Journal of Dentistry, Oral Disorders & Therapy, 2017

This study appraises diverse theoretical concepts into a coherent hypothetical concept of the pathophysiology of oral biofilms. The microbiota, their characteristics and properties are systematically analyzed and mechanisms of maturation clarified. Not all biofilms are the same as its stagnation and progress leads to development of gum disease and/or tooth decay. By deconstructing and assessing the various stages and types of oral biofilms, greater insight is attained in terms of assessing methods of prevention, its formation and control. Besides the local effect of biofilms on the teeth, bone and soft oral structures, some pathological effects and mechanisms derived from oral biofilms on systemic disease are highlighted and articulated into a comprehensible hypothetical rationale.

Dental biofilm infections - an update

APMIS, 2017

Teeth are colonized by oral bacteria from saliva containing more than 700 different bacterial species. If removed regularly, the dental biofilm mainly comprises oral streptococci and is regarded as resident microflora. But if left undisturbed, a complex biofilm containing up to 100 bacterial species at a site will build up and may eventually cause development of disease. Depending on local ecological factors, the composition of the dental biofilm may vary considerably. With access to excess carbohydrates, the dental biofilm will be dominated by mainly gram-positive carbohydrate-fermenting bacteria causing demineralization of teeth, dental caries, which may further lead to inflammation and necrosis in the pulp and periapical region, i.e., pulpitis and periapical periodontitis. In supraand subgingival biofilms, predominantly gram-negative, anaerobic proteolytic bacteria will colonize and cause gingival inflammation and breakdown of supporting periodontal fibers and bone and ultimately tooth loss, i.e., gingivitis, chronic or aggressive periodontitis, and around dental implants, peri-implantitis. Furthermore, bacteria from the dental biofilm may spread to other parts of the body by bacteremia and cause systemic disease. Basically, prevention and treatment of dental biofilm infections are achieved by regular personal and professional removal of the dental biofilm.

Bacterial analysis of biofilms from tooth root surfaces presenting different caries activity

Revista da Faculdade de Odontologia de Porto Alegre, 2020

This study evaluated the numbers and determined the proportion of mutans streptococci and Lactobacillus spp., which are possible relevant cariogenic organisms, in biofilms recovered from lesions at root surfaces with active caries lesions (ARC), inactive caries lesions, and sound root surfaces (SRS). Samples were cultured in MSB agar for mutans streptococci counts, Rogosa agar for Lactobacillus spp. counts, and brain-heart infusion agar for total viable anaerobic counts. After incubation, the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) was determined and compared between groups by the Mann-Whitney U test with a significance level set at 95%. The proportion of counts of mutans streptococci and Lactobacillus spp. in the total viable microorganisms was also analyzed by Chi-square test. Ninety samples (30 from each surface) from 37 patients were cultured and analyzed. The CFU was similar between mutans streptococci and Lactobacillus spp. These species were present in at least half of the samp...

Dental Plaque Biofilm: Development, Pathogenicity and Analysis

https://ijshr.com/IJSHR\_Vol.6\_Issue.3\_July2021/IJSHR-Abstract.021.html, 2021

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms which are found attached to a surface. They develop on both biotic and abiotic surfaces and could act as a source of infection. The development of biofilms is a complex process and it involves several steps such as initial adhesion, reversible binding of bacteria to the solid surface, production of exopolysaccharide matrix, irreversible binding to the surface, maturation of biofilm structure, disintegration and dispersion of organized structure and the formation of new habitats. The biofilm exhibits unique properties of protecting host defences and desiccation, persistence in the flowing system, heterogeneity, spatial organization and resistance to antimicrobial agents through its ability to influence gene expression and phenotype. Quorum sensing, a means of the cell to cell communication is closely interconnected to the development of biofilm formation and inhibition. The dental plaque is the most common and well known oral biofilm. The preponderance of biofilm-associated diseases and its resistance in eradication has potentiated the need for further research in this field. Hence, the purpose of the review is to enlighten the importance of dental plaque as a biofilm, its properties, pathogenicity and analysis of biofilm.

Biofilms in Endodontics-Current Status and Future Directions

International journal of molecular sciences, 2017

Microbiota are found in highly organized and complex entities, known as biofilms, the characteristics of which are fundamentally different from microbes in planktonic suspensions. Root canal infections are biofilm mediated. The complexity and variability of the root canal system, together with the multi-species nature of biofilms, make disinfection of this system extremely challenging. Microbial persistence appears to be the most important factor for failure of root canal treatment and this could further have an impact on pain and quality of life. Biofilm removal is accomplished by a chemo-mechanical process, using specific instruments and disinfecting chemicals in the form of irrigants and/or intracanal medicaments. Endodontic research has focused on the characterization of root canal biofilms and the clinical methods to disrupt the biofilms in addition to achieving microbial killing. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of microbial biofilms in endodontics and review the ...

Oral microbial biofilms: an update

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 2019

Human oral cavity (mouth) hosts a complex microbiome consisting of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi and viruses. These bacteria are responsible for two common diseases of the human mouth including periodontal (gum) and dental caries (tooth decay). Dental caries is caused by plaques, which are a community of microorganisms in biofilm format. Genetic and peripheral factors lead to variations in the oral microbiome. It has known that, in commensalism and coexistence between microorganisms and the host, homeostasis in the oral microbiome is preserved. Nonetheless, under some conditions, a parasitic relationship dominates the existing situation and the rise of cariogenic microorganisms results in dental caries. Utilizing advanced molecular biology techniques, new cariogenic microorganisms species have been discovered. The oral microbiome of each person is quite distinct. Consequently, commonly taken measures for disease prevention cannot be exactly the same for other individuals. The chance for developing tooth decay in individuals is dependent on factors such as immune system and oral microbiome which itself is affected by the environmental and genetic determinants. Early detection of dental caries, assessment of risk factors and designing personalized measure let dentists control the disease and obtain desired results. It is necessary for a dentist to consider dental caries as a result of a biological process to be targeted than treating the consequences of decay cavities. In this research, we critically review the literature and discuss the role of microbial biofilms in dental caries.