title: Bifidobacteria inhibit the growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis but not of Streptococcus mutans in an in vitro biofilm model.
abstract: There is growing interest in the use of probiotic bifidobacteria for enhancement of the therapy, and in the prevention, of oral microbial diseases. However, the results of clinical studies assessing the effects of bifidobacteria on the oral microbiota are controversial, and the mechanisms of actions of probiotics in the oral cavity remain largely unknown. In addition, very little is known about the role of commensal bifidobacteria in oral health. Our aim was to study the integration of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb12 and of oral Bifidobacterium dentium and Bifidobacterium longum isolates in supragingival and subgingival biofilm models and their effects on other bacteria in biofilms in vitro using two different in vitro biofilms and agar-overlay assays. All bifidobacteria integrated well into the subgingival biofilms composed of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Fusobacterium nucleatum and decreased significantly only the number of P. gingivalis in the biofilms. The integration of bifidobacteria into the supragingival biofilms containing Streptococcus mutans and A. naeslundii was less efficient, and bifidobacteria did not affect the number of S. mutans in biofilms. Therefore, our results suggest that bifidobacteria may have a positive effect on subgingival biofilm and thereby potential in enhancing gingival health; however, their effect on supragingival biofilm may be limited.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Doctoral Program in Oral Sciences (FINDOS Turku), Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.|Department of Cariology, Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jäsberg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Söderling
authors.affiliation: Functional Foods Forum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.affiliation: Dental Institute, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beighton
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haukioja
mesh_terms: D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum; D005881:Gingiva / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000254:growth & development*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Bifidobacterium; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Streptococcus mutans; biofilm; probiotic