Aptamers in dentistry: current status and prospects for use in the era of antibiotic resistance

Objective — to analyse the data on the use of aptamers in dentistry for overcoming antibiotic resistance. Material and methods. Fourteen sources (2014—2025) from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were analysed. Studies on the detection of oral pathogens, biofilm suppression, and drug delivery were selected. Results. This review considers aptamers for the detection of oral pathogens and inflammatory biomarkers. In experimental studies, aptamers have been used to inhibit biofilm formation by blocking adhesion proteins and as ligands for targeted antimicrobial therapy. Theranostic constructs that combine recognition of bacterial targets with photodynamic treatment represent a separate area of research. Limitations include the insufficient stability of native aptamers in the biological environment of the oral cavity and the lack of domestic infrastructure for the large-scale GMP-compliant production of therapeutic oligonucleotides. Conclusions. Aptamers are of interest as tools for precision diagnostics and targeted antimicrobial interventions in dentistry; however, their clinical efficacy has not yet been confirmed. The most extensively developed experimental solutions include an electrochemical sensor for the detection of S. mutans in saliva and aptamers targeting Tannerella forsythia. Translation from experimental models to clinical application will require improving aptamer stability in oral biological fluids through chemical modification, establishing reproducible GMP-compliant synthesis and quality-control processes, and conducting preclinical and clinical evaluations of safety and efficacy.