Management of Oral Biofilms by Microspray Disruption of Pathogenic Microenvironments

Objectives: The objective of this study was to show that high velocity fluid jets may disrupt anaerobic niches reducing the abundance of anaerobic pathogens in the biofilm.
Methods: We used planar optodes to measure the oxygen concentration at the base of biofilms grown from human dental plaque and saliva that were subject to repeated microspray treatments with a commercial Philips Sonicare AirFloss. Furthermore, PCR has been used to show biofilm community before and after shooting.
Results: The fluorescence of the oxygen optodes changes from red to green in response to anoxic and oxic conditions. We assessed the impact on the biofilm community by PCR of 6 target species. After each shooting much of the biofilm was removed and the base of the biofilm became aerobic. PCR showed that there was a shift in relative abundance towards an increase in oral streptococci and the obligate anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis was reduced below detection limits.
Conclusions: Biofilm microorganisms are notoriously recalcitrant to antimicrobial treatment; however, management of the biofilm microenvironment offers an alternative and exciting ecological strategy to shift the microbial population from a pathogenic to commensal community.