Mouthwash Dental Plaque: A Microbial Biofilm

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MouthwashDental Plaque A Microbial Biofilm
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Introduction

• Introduction
• Oral Biofilms and Plaque
• The BIG Picture
• Mouthwashs Fave Five

Oral Biofilms and Plaque

• Q What is a Biofilm?
• A Well organized community of microorganisms
  protected by a matrix, usually formed under fluid
  conditions.

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Introduction

• Introduction
• Oral Biofilms and Plaque
• The BIG Picture
• Mouthwashs Fave Five

Oral Biofilms and Plaque

• Plaque is a form of biofilm
• Dental plaque consists of many bacterial species,
  but the most dominant are S. sanguis, and S.
  mutans.
• Q How is plaque formed?
• A By the WEAK attachment of these bacterial
  species to salivary glycoproteins that form on
  the surface of your teeth.

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Introduction

• Introduction
• Oral Biofilms and Plaque
• The BIG Picture
• Mouthwashs Fave Five

Oral Biofilms and Plaque

• An enzyme on the surface of S. mutans called
  glycosyl transferase, uses dietary sugars (mainly
  sucrose), and forms extracellular sticky polymers
  of glucose (AKA, plaque).

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Introduction

• Introduction
• Oral Biofilms and Plaque
• The BIG Picture
• Mouthwashs Fave Five

Oral Biofilms and Plaque

• Basic Properties of Biofilms are
• Consists of many microcolonies
• These microcolonies have different environments,
  and they send out nutrients, waste, and oxygen to
  each other through fluid channels
• They love low pH environments
• Most microorganisms in biofilms are resistant to
  antibiotics. Not good!

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Introduction

• Introduction
• Oral Biofilms and Plaque
• The BIG Picture
• Mouthwashs Fave Five

Oral Biofilms and Plaque
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The BIG Picture
Introduction The BIG Picture Mouthwashs Fave
Five
How do we control plaque?

• Lets try to target what it loves!
• Can we create a neutral environment?
• Or better, use inhibitors of acid production?
• EX Flouride, which increases resistance to
  enamel demineralization and promotes
  remineralization.

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Mouthwashs Fave Five
Introduction The BIG Picture Mouthwashs Fave
Five
Five projects for our Fave Five

1. A device that can produce fluorides.
2. A device that maintains the pH of a healthy
   mouth, base production.
3. Vary the oxygen concentration, redox agents such
   as methylene blue inhibits the growth of
   gingivitis forming bacteria.
4. Produce the wintergreen scent, or even better,
   different smelling scents.
5. The test dummy. Just kidding!

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Sources
Introduction The BIG Picture Mouthwashs Fave
Five

1. Overman, Pamela R. Biofilm. Journal of
   Contemporary Dental Practice Volume 1, No. 3,
   Sumer Issue 2000.
2. Marsh, Philip D. Dental plaque as a biofilm and
   microbial community - implications for health and
   disease. BMC Oral health. 10 July 2006.
3. Marsh, Philip D. Dental Plaque as a Microbial
   Biofilm. Caries Research 200438204-211
4. Enamel picture from Wikipedia.

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