Inhibition of Bacterial Adhesion to Epithelial Cells by Oral Rinses

Bacterial adhesion to buccal epithelial cells is a critical step in bacterial pathogenesis. Interference with adhesion by oral rinses would be beneficial in improving the oral health. The Objective: of this study was to compare the effectiveness of four oral rinses in preventing bacterial adhesion to epithelial cells. Methods: Commercially available oral rinses, Acclean®, NoPlak®, Prevention®, and Listerine® were compared. ATCC strains of A.naeslundii , F.nucleatum , P.gingivalis , and P. intermedia were grown anaerobically and suspended to a concentration of 10⁷ cells/ml. Buccal epithelial cells (BEC) were collected, washed and treated with 1.0ml of oral rinses or saline (control) for 10 minutes. BEC (10⁴ cells/ml) were then incubated with 0.1 ml of bacteria (10⁶ cells) for two hours. BEC were washed to remove the unbound bacteria, and then stained and counted the adherent bacteria under a microscope. Assays were done in triplicate and and assays were repeated four times. Results: BEC treated with No Plak® and Acclean® showed significantly (P <0.001) fewer bacteria adhered , compared to the other two rinses. The number of P.gingivalis and P.intermedia adhered to be on an average 15.4± 1.8/BEC, when treated with Acclean® and No Plak®. BEC treated with Prevention and Listerine had on an average 63.7±11.3 bacteria/BEC. Similar phenomenon was also observed with other test organisms. Conclusion: Effective blockage of bacterial adherence to BEC would be beneficial in preventing periodontal disease. Consideration of the effectiveness of oral rinses to interfere with bacterial adhesion to BEC would be beneficial in choosing the appropriate oral rinse.