Formation of Streptococcus mutans Polymicrobial Biofilms in the Presence of Lactobacillus plantarum and Candida albicans

Dental caries is an infectious disease that develops through biofilm. <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> is a cariogenic bacterium that can be found in dental plaque. <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> regulates biofilm formation and communicate with other microbes through a process called quorum sensing. Dental caries prevention can be achieved by inhibiting quorum sensing. This study aimed to investigate the ability of <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> and <i>Candida albicans</i> to inhibit the formation of <i>S. mutans</i> polymicrobial biofilms<i>.</i> This study aims to investigate the ability of biofilm formation analyzed through the crystal violet (CV) assay and bacterial metabolic activity analyzed through the methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The bacteria used are <i>S. mutans</i> (serotype C), <i>L. plantarum</i> (FNCC 0020), and <i>C. albicans</i>.CV assay results show that in the presence of <i>L. plantarum</i>, biofilm formation in <i>S. mutans</i> decreases (9.5%). Meanwhile, the formation of <i>S. mutans</i> biofilms increased with the presence of <i>C. albicans</i> (28.8%). MTT assay results showed an increase in the metabolic activity of <i>S. mutans</i> in the presence of <i>L. plantarum</i> (20.2%) and <i>C. albicans</i> (19.4%). <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> can inhibit the formation of <i>S. mutans</i> biofilms, while <i>C. albicans</i> can increase <i>S. mutans</i> biofilms.