Structural organization of dental biofilm formed in situ in the presence of sucrose associated to maltodextrin

Abstract

Maltodextrins, derived from corn starch, have been added to industrialized food combined with sucrose. However it is not clear the diffusion properties of the dental biofilm matrix and the tridimensional structure of multispecies biofilms formed in the presence of these carbohydrates. Therefore, the aim of study was to investigate by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) the structural organization of the multispecies dental biofilm formed in situ under exposure to sucrose associated to maltodextrin. Adult volunteers wore an intraoral palatal appliance containing bovine enamel blocks. They were instructed to remove the appliance 8 times per day and drop the following solutions on the enamel blocks: deionized distilled water (DDW), maltodextrin, sucrose + maltodextrin or sucrose. Biofilms formed were stained and the percentage of extracellular polysaccharide (%EPS) and thickness were determined by CLSM. Biofilm formed in the presence of sucrose and sucrose + maltodextrin presented similar %EPS and higher than DDW and maltodextrin. Regarding to the biofilm thickness, sucrose and sucrose + maltodextrin treatments were thicker than DDW and maltodextrin and similar between them. The structural organization of the multispecies dental biofilm formed in situ in the presence of sucrose does not change when this carbohydrate is associated to maltodextrin.