Devices for In situ Development of Non-disturbed Oral Biofilm. A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this review was to assess the types of devices used for in situ development of oral biofilm analyzed microbiologically.Materials and Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted to identify all in situ studies of oral biofilm which used an oral device; the Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE databases complemented with manual search were used. Specific devices used to microbiologically analyze oral biofilm in adults were included. After reading of the selected full texts, devices were identified and classified according to the oral cavity zone and manufacturing material. The “ideal” characteristics were analyzed in every group.Results: The search provided 787 abstracts, of which 111 papers were included. The devices used in these studies were classified as palatal, lingual or buccal. The last group was sub-classified in six groups based on the material of the device. Considering the analyzed characteristics, the thermoplastic devices and the Intraoral Device of Overlaid Disk-holding Splints (IDODS) presented more advantages than limitations.Conclusions: Buccal devices were the most commonly used for the study of in situ biofilm. The majority of buccal devices seemed to slightly affect the volunteer's comfort, the IDODS being the closest to the “ideal” model.Clinical Relevance: New devices for in situ oral biofilm microbiological studies should take into account the possible effect of their design on the volunteer's comfort and biofilm formation.

Comparison of initial oral microbiomes of young adults with and without cavitated dentin caries lesions using an in situ biofilm model

“…Biofilm in situ models offer a promising and standardizable option for obtaining biofilm samples over strictly defined periods of time 7 , 13 . These in situ models can be used to investigate initial bioadhesion processes, basic microbiological and molecular genetic questions, as well as the influences of food and oral hygiene products 13 – 15 . Depending on the requirements, glass, polymers, dental materials or dental hard substances can be used as the basic substrate 13 , 16 – 18 .…”

“…These in situ models can be used to investigate initial bioadhesion processes, basic microbiological and molecular genetic questions, as well as the influences of food and oral hygiene products 13 – 15 . Depending on the requirements, glass, polymers, dental materials or dental hard substances can be used as the basic substrate 13 , 16 – 18 . Bovine enamel is particularly suitable for simulating the natural formation of biofilm on tooth enamel.…”

Antibiofilm peptides against oral biofilms

“…The colonization of biofilm on the oral surfaces has been considered as the leading cause of varies infectious diseases in different fields of dentistry, including cariology, endodontics, and periodontics [ 2 ]. Over the past a few decades, many studies have been conducted on combating biofilm development with the goal of controlling pathogenic oral microflora [ 3 , 4 ]. However, biofilms provide protection against antibiotics and the human host-defense system by formation of extracellular matrix as a physical barrier and production of own biofilm enzymes for physiological adaptation, which makes biofilms quite recalcitrant to various conventional antimicrobial therapies [ 5 ].…”

In Situ Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils with and without Alcohol on Oral Biofilm: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…To test the antibacterial activity of the two EO solutions, an in situ model of PL-biofilm growth was used. An individualized thermoplastic splint called intraoral disk-holding splint (IDODS) (García-Caballero et al, 2013 ; Prada-López et al, 2013 , 2015a , b , c , 2016 ; Quintas et al, 2015a , b ) with a capacity to hold a total of six glass disks was made for each of the volunteers.…”