Development of a Streptococcus Mutans Biofilm Model on a Typodont Platform to Investigate its Dynamics in Orthodontics

Introduction: Biofilm formation plays a significant role in dental health, resulting in plaque accumulation, which can lead to caries and oral diseases. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is a key bacterium involved in this process. The goal of this study was to establish a protocol for the development of an S. mutans biofilm on dental typodont teeth to analyze the effects of orthodontic brackets on biofilm formation. Understanding these dynamics is critical for developing strategies to mitigate biofilm accumulation during orthodontic treatment. Methods: S. mutans biofilms were cultivated under three conditions: 96-well tissue culture plates, S. mutans inoculated non-bracketed dental typodont teeth, and S. mutans inoculated bracketed dental typodont teeth. The biofilm formation was analyzed using microplate spectrophotometry at 570 nm to quantify biofilm production. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in biofilm formation on the S.mutans inoculated non-bracketed typodont teeth compared to the uninoculated non-bracketed typodont teeth (control). Similarly, the S. mutans inoculated bracketed typodont teeth exhibited higher biofilm formation compared to the control. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between biofilm formation on the S. mutans inoculated non-bracketed typodont teeth and the S. mutans inoculated bracketed typodont teeth. Conclusion: This study successfully established a protocol for establishing S. mutans biofilm on dental typodont teeth highlighting that typodont teeth can be used as a model to evaluate S. mutans biofilm formation. Furthermore, while orthodontic brackets showed no significant impact on biofilm production compared to unbracketed teeth, both experimental groups demonstrated higher biofilm formation than the control.