title: Polymicrobial Biofilm Studies: From Basic Science to Biofilm Control.
abstract: Microbes rarely exist as single species planktonic forms as they have been commonly studied in the laboratory. Instead, the vast majority exists as part of complex polymicrobial biofilm communities attached to host and environmental surfaces. The oral cavity represents one of the most diverse and well-studied polymicrobial consortia. Despite a burgeoning field of mechanistic biofilm research within the past decades, our understanding of interactions that occur between microbial members within oral biofilms is still limited. Thus, the primary objective of this review is to focus on polymicrobial biofilm formation, microbial interactions and signaling events that mediate oral biofilm development, consequences of oral hygiene on both local and systemic disease, and potential therapeutic strategies to limit oral dysbiosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, 881 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
authors.forename: Hubertine Me
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Zhenbo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, 881 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, 858 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Peters
keywords: Polymicrobial; biofilm; microbiome; multi-species; oral health; quorum sensing