A Study on the Biofilm Removal Efficacy of a Bioelectric Toothbrush.

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Abstract

Effective oral care is a critical requirement to maintain a high quality of life. Most oral diseases are caused by plaque (oral biofilm), which is also correlated with systemic diseases. A common method to remove biofilm is brushing teeth with toothpaste. However, 3.5 billion people in the world have oral diseases, meaning that more efficient methods of removing biofilms are needed. We have developed a toothbrush that applies a bioelectric effect (BE) utilizing an electric force for biofilm removal. It demonstrated significantly higher biofilm removal efficiency than non-BE manual toothbrushes. Tests were performed in saline and toothpaste conditions using various pressures. Results showed that the BE toothbrush had a significantly higher biofilm removal efficiency in saline (0.5 N: 215.43 ± 89.92%, 2.5 N: 116.77 ± 47.02%) and in a toothpaste slurry (0.5 N: 104.96 ± 98.93%, 2.5 N: 96.23 ± 35.16%) than non-BE manual toothbrushes. Results also showed that BE toothbrushes were less dependent on toothpaste. This study suggests that the application of BE can be a new solution to plaque problems in oral care.

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Most microorganisms in nature attach to surfaces and form matrix-embedded biofilms. Biofilms are highly structured and spatially organized, and are often composed of consortia of interacting microorganisms, termed microbial communities, the properties of which are more than the sum of the component species. Microbial gene expression alters markedly in biofilms; organisms communicate by gene transfer and by secretion of diffusible signalling molecules. Cells in biofilms are less susceptible to antimicrobial agents. To comprehensively review the literature to determine whether dental plaque displays properties consistent with those of a typical biofilm and microbial community. Novel microscopic and molecular techniques have demonstrated that plaque has a structured architecture with an extracellular matrix, and a diverse composition (around 50% of cells are unculturable). The constituent species communicate by gene transfer, by secreted peptides (gram-positive bacteria) and autoinducer-2 (gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria). These organisms are functionally organized for increased metabolic efficiency, greater resistance to stress and for enhanced virulence. Plaque formation has direct and indirect effects on gene expression. Dental plaque displays properties that are typical of biofilms and microbial communities in general, a clinical consequence of which is a reduced susceptibility to antimicrobial agents as well as pathogenic synergism.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Bioengineering (Basel)

Title: Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)

Publisher: MDPI AG

ISSN: 2306-5354

ISSN (Print): 2306-5354

Publication date (Electronic): Oct 13 2023

Volume: 10

Issue: 10

Affiliations

[1 ] PAIST (ProxiHealthcare Advanced Institute for Science and Technology), Seoul 04513, Republic of Korea.

[2 ] Graduate Program of Biomedical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.

[3 ] Department of Medical Engineering, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.

Article

Publisher Item ID: bioengineering10101184

DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10101184

PMC ID: 10604395

PubMed ID: 37892914

SO-VID: 082f1b11-a7ad-476f-b08b-389fbd031cec

History

Keywords: bioelectric effect,microcurrent,dental,biofilm,toothbrush,plaque

Data availability:

Keywords: bioelectric effect, microcurrent, dental, biofilm, toothbrush, plaque

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