Sodium Pyrrolidone Carboxylate Inhibits Dentin Adhesion Of Streptococcus Mutans

To evaluate the effect of Sodium Pyrrolidone Carboxylate (PCA) on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) for the prevention of root caries. S. mutans was cultured in PCA-containing medium to identify growth inhibitory effects. Test solutions were inoculated with S. mutans suspension and viable cells were counted after 6, 12 and 24 hours. Additionally, collagen-coated plates were pre-treated with PCA or water, followed by S. mutans culture. After 2 hours, the plates were washed and the adhesion to collagen was quantified using crystal violet staining. For bovine enamel or dentin, the samples were pre-treated with PCA or water, exposed to S. mutans suspension for 2 hours and washed. After a further 4 hours of culture, adhered bacteria were collected via sonication and quantified. In our study, the bacterial count in the medium after 24 hours was 2.1 × 10^7 CFU/mL in the PCA-treated group and 2.3 × 10^7 CFU/mL in the control group, indicating that PCA did not exhibit a growth inhibitory effect. However, we revealed that PCA has an inhibitory effect on the adhesion of S. mutans to dentin, where pre-treatment with PCA significantly reduced adhesion against collagen by 72 % compared to the control, and PCA-treated group was 2.4 × 10^4 CFU/specimen and control group was 6.7 × 10^5 CFU/specimen in the dentin adhesion test. This study suggested that PCA could potentially contribute to more efficient caries prevention strategies by preventing dentin adhesion of S. mutans.