The effect of delmopinol on salivary pellicles, the wettability of tooth surfacesin vivoand bacterial cell surfacesin vitro

Abstract

Delmopinol is a low molecular weight surface active compound, which has been shown to be effective against dental plaque both in vitro and in vivo, and against gingivitis in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of delmopinol on salivary pellicles and on the adhesiveness of tooth surfaces, bacterial cell surfaces and pellicle-coated bacterial cell surfaces in order to elucidate its mode of action.The interaction of delmopinol with salivary pellicles showed that the effect was strongly dependent on the surface properties of the material on which the pellicle was formed, ranging from reversible binding of delmopinol to removal of pellicle material. The binding of delmopinol appeared to be reversible upon rinsing in all cases.The results from the contact angle measurements showed that the accessibility of polar units increased after adsorption, suggesting that delmopinol exposes the polar part of the molecule outwards after adsorption, but this effect was short-lived. It is therefore less likely that the main effect of delmopinol is related to alterations in the adhesive properties of tooth surfaces in vivo. It is suggested that delmopinol reduces the cohesion within plaque, and also affects the adhesion of plaque to a tooth surface, thus facilitating mechanical removal.

In vitro Interactions of Delmopinol Hydrochloride with Salivary Films Adsorbed at Solid/Liquid Interfaces

“…These decreases indicate desorption and replacement of some of the adsorbed proteins by del mopinol molecules. The obtained results for the parotid saliva agree well with those reported by Simonsson et al [1991a]. In all cases, however, the reduction in the mass after rinsing to lower levels than before delmopinol addi tion indicates that the adsorbed surfactant molecules and/ or surfactant-protein complexes were desorbed together with part of the films.…”

“…Delmopinol. (±)-3-(4-propylheptyl)-4-morpholine-ethanol hydrochloride, is an amphiphilic substance which rapidly lowers interfacial tension [Simonsson et al, 1991a]. This substance has recently been shown to reduce the amount of plaque and the level of gingivitis in vivo [Collaert et al, 1992], although it has a low antimicrobial profile both in vitro [Simonsson et al, 1991b] and in vivo .…”

“…It has been suggested that one mode of action of delmopinol is an influence on plaque matrix components such as bacterial glucans, which could make the plaque less coherent [Steinberg et al, 1992;Rundegren and Arncbrant. 1992], In addition, the biological effect of delmopinol has been proposed to be related to the high surface tension reduction caused by the substance [Simonsson et al, 1991a] and thus this mole cule most likely would affect salivary film formation at interfaces.…”

Randomized controlled clinical trials on agents used for chemical plaque control

“…Delmopinol is amino‐alcohol with documented anti‐bacterial action. The suggested mechanism of action is its interference with plaque matrix formation and reduction of bacterial adherence (103, 104). This would cause the plaque to be more loosely adherent to the tooth so that it would be more easily removed by mechanical cleaning procedures, and would therefore be suitable for a pre‐brush mouthrinse.…”

Adsorption of delmopinol at the solid/liquid interface – The role of the acid–base equilibrium

“…As delmopinol is a surface active substance which has been shown to affect the salivary pellicle in vitro [9,10] it is of interest to understand its adsorption to surfaces such as tooth enamel and oral implants and to correlate the interfacial behavior to the bacteriostatic performance in vivo.…”