Oral microbial biofilms: an update

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 2019-11, Vol.38 (11), p.2005-2019
• Main Authors: Mosaddad, Seyed Ali, Tahmasebi, Elahe, Yazdanian, Alireza, Rezvani, Mohammad Bagher, Seifalian, Alexander, Yazdanian, Mohsen, Tebyanian, Hamid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archaea; Bacteria; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacteria - pathogenicity; Biofilms; Biofilms - growth & development; Biological activity; Biological effects; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Coexistence; Commensalism; Decay; Dental caries; Dental Caries - genetics; Dental Caries - microbiology; Dental Caries - prevention & control; Dental plaque; Dental Pulp Diseases - genetics; Dental Pulp Diseases - microbiology; Dental Pulp Diseases - prevention & control; Dentistry; Disease control; Fluoridation; Fungi; Gingiva - microbiology; Gingiva - physiology; Homeostasis; Humans; Immune system; Internal Medicine; Literature reviews; Medical Microbiology; Microbiomes; Microbiota - physiology; Microorganisms; Molecular biology; Mouth; Mouth - microbiology; Oral cavity; Parasitic diseases; Periodontal Diseases - genetics; Periodontal Diseases - microbiology; Periodontal Diseases - prevention & control; Periodontics; Protozoa; Review; Risk analysis; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Saliva - chemistry; Teeth
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-019-03641-9

Human oral cavity (mouth) hosts a complex microbiome consisting of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi and viruses. These bacteria are responsible for two common diseases of the human mouth including periodontal (gum) and dental caries (tooth decay). Dental caries is caused by plaques, which are a community of microorganisms in biofilm format. Genetic and peripheral factors lead to variations in the oral microbiome. It has known that, in commensalism and coexistence between microorganisms and the host, homeostasis in the oral microbiome is preserved. Nonetheless, under some conditions, a parasitic relationship dominates the existing situation and the rise of cariogenic microorganisms results in dental caries. Utilizing advanced molecular biology techniques, new cariogenic microorganisms species have been discovered. The oral microbiome of each person is quite distinct. Consequently, commonly taken measures for disease prevention cannot be exactly the same for other individuals. The chance for developing tooth decay in individuals is dependent on factors such as immune system and oral microbiome which itself is affected by the environmental and genetic determinants. Early detection of dental caries, assessment of risk factors and designing personalized measure let dentists control the disease and obtain desired results. It is necessary for a dentist to consider dental caries as a result of a biological process to be targeted than treating the consequences of decay cavities. In this research, we critically review the literature and discuss the role of microbial biofilms in dental caries.