Biofilm Modifiers

Oral biofilms are well structured, exhibiting features like channels and projections. Good oral hygiene, reducing biofilm accumulation, in dentally aware populations has a beneficial effect on caries prevalence, but regimens targeted at modifying the ecology of the oral biofilm have not as yet been as reproducibly successful. Ecological approaches to caries prevention often target Streptococcus mutans, while the ecological plaque hypothesis and analysis of the new microbial diversity data suggest that single species, not even S. mutans, mediate the initiation or progression of dental caries. If the oral biofilm is to be beneficially modified, better knowledge of the microflora associated with caries initiation, especially in the transition from white-spot lesion to cavity, is required-not just in terms of which taxa are present, but also to understand the physiological characteristics of the biofilm and how they might be interfered with to reduce its cariogenicity at specific tooth sites. Thus, this book deals with the recent advancements in modifying ecology of oral biofilms, thereby reducing the chances of dental caries and other peridodontal diseases.