title: Microbially-produced peptides having potential application to the prevention of dental caries.
abstract: Strategies advanced to decrease the occurrence of dental caries have in the past typically focussed upon attempting to reduce plaque accumulation by application of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. In recent years however there has been growing interest in the application of a more targeted approach to the selective elimination from plaque of those bacterial species that are specifically implicated as the aetiological agents of this disease. This review focuses upon a number of the small bacterially-produced peptide antibiotics known as bacteriocins that are currently being explored for their potential role in the treatment and prevention of dental caries.
authors.affiliation: Unilever Dental Research, UK.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chikindas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Novák
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Caufield
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Tagg