Early formation of Streptococcus sobrinus biofilm on various dental restorative materials

Objectives: To examine the formation of dental biofilm by Streptococcus sobrinus on different types of restorative materials, using a model consisting of host and bacterial constituents. Methods: The adsorption pattern of saliva to the restorative material was determined by means of gel electrophoresis coupled with computerized densitometry techniques. The amount of salivary proteins adsorbed onto the surfaces was measured using the Bradford method. Sucrose-dependent bacterial adhesion to the saliva-coated restorative material was tested by radioactive-labelled Streptococcus sobrinus, and viable counts of these bacteria in the biofilm was determined using bacterial culture techniques. Results: Different adsorption patterns by salivary proteins to restorative materials were recorded. Durafil and acrylic dental materials demonstrated the most affinity to salivary proteins. A surface dependent adhesion profile was recorded, showing a high affinity of albumin and amylase to Acrylic and Durafil materials. Bacterial accumulation was the highest with Fuji LC and Fuji GC, which also demonstrated the highest bacterial viability. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the specificity of biofilm formation on different brands of dental restorative materials. Formation of a variety of dental biofilms has a significant impact on the progression of dental diseases in the oral cavity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.