The Effect of Resin-Based Dental Sealant Containing Vanillin on Biofilm Formation of Candida albicans

Early childhood caries (ECC), or baby bottle tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases that affect young children at 6 years of age or younger. The disease is resulted from complex interactions between tooth structures and cariogenic microorganisms in dental biofilm after exposure to fermentable carbohydrates through improper feeding practices. This leads to a rapid development of demineralization of teeth shortly after they erupt in the oral cavity. Candida albicans have been reported recently to be associated with the pathogenesis of ECC. One of the general approaches currently used for the prevention of ECC is the application of dental sealant to occlusal (chewing surface) pits and fissures of caries-susceptible teeth. Many types of dental sealants have been extensively used and various antimicrobial agents were introduced to dental sealants to increase their caries preventive effect. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of vanillin incorporated resin-based dental sealant on C. albicans biofilm. Resin-based dental sealants (Clinpro; 3M ESPE, USA) containing different concentrations of vanillin (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 5% w/v) were prepared in 96-well plate. The suspension (107 colony forming unit/mL) of each strain of Candida albicans (ATCC 10231, ATCC 18804 and 2 clinical isolates) was added to saliva-coated sealant resin samples and incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 atmosphere for 24 h to allow the Candida biofilm formation. The quantity of vital biofilm was determined by WST Microbial Cell Counting Kit (Dojindo Molecular Technologies, USA) at 460 nm. All tests were done in triplicate and repeated three times. Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn’s method were used to account for multiple comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p-value less than 0.05. The results showed that 0.5-5% vanillin-incorporated dental sealant resins showed a significant suppressive effect against all strains of Candida. No significant differences of anti-biofilm effects were found among Candida strains. Approximately 30-50% Candida biofilm reduction was noticed in sealant resins containing vanillin compared with controls without vanillin. In conclusion, the adding of vanillin (0.5-5% w/v) to dental sealant resins is effective in inhibiting biofilm formation of fungus related to early childhood caries, C. albicans. Therefore, the use of dental sealants containing vanillin has the potential to prevent this type of dental caries in young children and biofilm formation by oral Candida. Further clinical studies are required to investigate physical properties of this sealant and clinical evaluation in the patients.

Formation of Cariogenic Bacterial Biofilm on Vanillin-Incorporated Resin-Based Dental Sealant

Tooth decay or dental caries is an important oral health problem involving people of all age groups. The disease is the outcome of the demineralize process in which aciduric and acidogenic bacteria in a biofilm decompose tooth structure. Dental sealant, a resin material, which is applied on the occlusal pit and fissure surfaces of the teeth as a protective layer has been commonly used to prevent dental caries. However, the microbial effect on food residue is found to be a major cause of microleakage of sealant and secondary caries. Several types of antimicrobial agents were introduced to increase the caries preventive effect of dental sealants. Vanillin, the main component of flavoring agent vanilla, has been found to have antimicrobial property against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of vanillin-incorporated dental sealant against biofilm formation of cariogenic bacteria. Dental sealant resin samples (Clinpro; 3M ESPE, USA) were prepared in 96-well plate in accordance with the amount of vanillin adding (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 5% vanillin). The cariogenic bacterial suspensions of Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175 and Lactobacillus casei ATCC 334 were added to saliva-coated samples and incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 atmosphere for 48 h to allow the biofilm formation. The quantity of vital biofilm was determined by WST Microbial Cell Counting Kit (Dojindo Molecular Technologies, USA) at 460 nm. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test were applied to the statistical analysis. A significant inhibitory effect against L. casei biofilm was observed in all vanillin incorporated samples (0.5%, 1% and 5% vanillin) compared with samples without vanillin. The percentage of biofilm reduction was 32-39%. For S. mutans, the suppressive effect was noticed only at >1% vanillin with 18-25% biofilm reduction. In conclusion, the incorporation of vanillin to dental sealants could decrease biofilm formation of cariogenic bacteria (S. mutans and L. casei). The use of dental sealants containing vanillin could be a promising measure to prevent dental caries due to their antibacterial biofilm formation property.

Dental Sealant Composition-Retention Assessment in Young Permanent Molars

Tooth decay in children and adolescents remains a public health problem, despite prophylaxis and preventive measures being largely available. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical behavior of four dental sealants, related to first permanent molar topography and patient age (when sealant was applied for the first time). We assessed, by means of visual inspection and palpation with a dental probe, a group of 200 children, enrolled corresponding to school age-grade (mean age of 7 years at baseline) and randomly divided according to the material used as dental sealant (Admira seal©, Embrace Wet Bond©, Fotoseal©, GC Fuji Triaje©) in 4 groups (n = 50). Sealant clinical evaluation was made at 6-, 12-, 18-month intervals for dental material retention assessment. At 6 months, the sealant detached the most from 3.6 molars, and the material used was Fotoseal© (27.6%). At 12 months, Fotoseal© (48.3%) and GC Fuji Triaje© (41.4%) from 3.6 molars express detachment. At 18 months, 4.6. molars sealed with Admira Seal© (25.7%) and Embrace Wet Bond© (28.6%) lost the sealant. We noticed less detachment in maxillary molars and if sealant was applied around 7 years of age. In conclusion, sealant application on first permanent molars must be encouraged and practitioners can choose between various materials available.

Foreign body surgery in the inferior alveolar nerve canal following endodontic treatment

Endodontic treatment can result in the extrusion of dental sealant material beyond the apex of a tooth. Dental sealant materials are known to have potentially cytotoxic properties and can cause damage to biological structures. This article describes the case of a patient who had experienced a sustained painful dysaesthesia of the left inferior alveolar nerve as a result of extrusion of material beyond the apex of the tooth into the nerve canal, and the surgical approach taken to directly treat the nerve and improve her symptoms. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Awareness of the potential and sustained effects of dental sealant material on biological tissue, as well as the proximity of important anatomical structures, such as the inferior alveolar nerve, will help practitioners in the safe treatment of patients. Additionally, an awareness of the signs and symptoms of foreign body reactions within soft tissues will aid diagnosis and prompt onward referral for specialist treatments.