Examining the Impact of Artificial vs. Natural Saliva in an in vitro Biofilm Model
Dental plaque (a type of oral biofilm) is a microbial community that grows on the tooth surface. This community is remarkably stable despite varying environmental factors. When this equilibrium is disturbed, infections and other kinds of damage are at risk of arising, like cavities and gum disease. Oral biofilms grown in a laboratory setting allows us to better understand how they develop and can contribute to therapeutic strategies against oral and systemic diseases. It was hypothesized that single-species biofilms of Streptococcus gordonii (S. gordonii), a pioneer colonizer of the oral cavity, would be significantly similar in both variations of saliva. Through saliva collection and processing, biofilm growth investigated on 96 well plates, and crystal violet staining, biofilm assays were performed. It was found that biofilm formation of S. gordonii was significantly lower in natural saliva compared to artificial saliva. These findings did not support the hypothesis and indicated that something present in natural saliva prevented biofilm formation of S. gordonii.