Oral biofilm models for mechanical plaque removal.
In vitro plaque removal studies require biofilm models that resemble in vivo dental plaque. Here, we compare contact and non-contact removal of single and dual-species biofilms as well as of biofilms grown from human whole saliva in vitro using different biofilm models. Bacteria were adhered to a salivary pellicle for 2 h or grown after adhesion for 16 h, after which, their removal was evaluated. In a contact mode, no differences were observed between the manual, rotating, or sonic brushing; and removal was on average 39%, 84%, and 95% for Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Actinomyces naeslundii, respectively, and 90% and 54% for the dual- and multi-species biofilms, respectively. However, in a non-contact mode, rotating and sonic brushes still removed considerable numbers of bacteria (24-40%), while the manual brush as a control (5-11%) did not. Single A. naeslundii and dual-species (A. naeslundii and S. oralis) biofilms were more difficult to remove after 16 h growth than after 2 h adhesion (on average, 62% and 93% for 16- and 2-h-old biofilms, respectively), while in contrast, biofilms grown from whole saliva were easier to remove (97% after 16 h and 54% after 2 h of growth). Considering the strong adhesion of dual-species biofilms and their easier more reproducible growth compared with biofilms grown from whole saliva, dual-species biofilms of A. naeslundii and S. oralis are suggested to be preferred for use in mechanical plaque removal studies in vitro.
Verkaik
Martinus J
MJ
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, P O Box 196, Groningen 9700, AD, The Netherlands.
Busscher
Henk J
HJ
Rustema-Abbing
Minie
M
Slomp
Anje M
AM
Abbas
Frank
F
van der Mei
Henny C
HC
D000190:Actinomyces / Q000254:growth & development; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D044622:Dental Pellicle / Q000382:microbiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013010:Sonication; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development; D019533:Streptococcus oralis / Q000254:growth & development; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*