Saliva Decreases Sucrose-Induced Cariogenicity in an Experimental Biological Caries Model

Objective. Whether a minimum quantity of saliva inhibit the caries process remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the impact of saliva dilutions on an in vitro caries model using Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) biofilms. Methods. S. mutans biofilms were cultivated on enamel and root den...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Giacaman RA, Umaña R, Nuñez MJ, Díaz-Garrido N, Echeverría C, García-Manríquez N, Mira A, Fernández CE, Gambetta-Tessini K, Lozano CP
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)
Repositorio:r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica
OAI Identifier:oai:fisabio.fundanetsuite.com:p15383
Acceso en línea:https://fisabio.portalinvestigacion.com/publicaciones/15383
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:saliva
caries
biofilm
cariogenicity
Streptococcus mutans
Descripción
Sumario:Objective. Whether a minimum quantity of saliva inhibit the caries process remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the impact of saliva dilutions on an in vitro caries model using Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) biofilms. Methods. S. mutans biofilms were cultivated on enamel and root dentin slabs, in culture media containing different proportions of saliva (v/v): 0%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% saliva, and exposed to a 10% sucrose solution (5 min, 3x/day), with appropriate controls. After 5 (enamel) and 4 (dentin) days, demineralization, biomass, viable bacteria, and polysaccharide formation were analyzed. The acidogenicity of the spent media was monitored overtime. Each assay was performed in triplicate across two independent experiments (n = 6). Results. In both enamel and dentin, an inverse relationship was observed between acidogenicity, demineralization, and the proportion of saliva. Even small quantities of saliva incorporated into the media led to a noticeable reduction in enamel and dentin demineralization. Saliva presence resulted in significant reductions in biomass, viable S. mutans cells, and polysaccharides, with the effects being concentration-dependent for both tissues. Conclusions. High quantities of saliva can almost completely inhibit sucrose-induced cariogenicity, while even small amounts exhibit a dose-dependent caries-protective effect.