Effect of Zoocin A on Growth of the Biofilm Producing Cariogenic Oral Bacteria

Abstract

Zoocin A has a potential antibacterial properties and its use as an anti-cariogenic agent needs to be explored Objective: Dental caries is an infectious disease, caused mainly by mutans streptococci (MS). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of zoocin A on the bioflm producing cariogenic oral bacteria compared with antibiotics. Methods: The samples were collected from dental caries and plaques of 130 cases referring to eight government dental clinics of Hamedan- Iran for treatment. The isolated bacteria were identifed on the basis of morphological, biochemical and molecular methods. The antimicrobial effects of the zoocin A and antibiotics were compared. Results: Zoocin A showed varying degrees of inhibition on the most common oral bioflm producing bacteria we isolated which were identifed as S. mutans , S. mitis , S. sanguinis , S. gordonii , Lactobacillus gasseri, and Granulicatella adiacens by PCR using16S rRNA gene sequence. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.2 mg -l and 3.2 mg -l was observed against S. mutans and S. gordonii respectively. Conclusion: In Hamedan, S.mitis and S. mutans are dominant species in decayed teeth of cases referring to government dental clinics. Isolated bacteria showed varying sensitivity to different antibiotics. Zoocin A inhibited the growth of some Streptococcal species like S. mutans and S. gordonii . Antimicrobial property of Zoocin A against cariogenic agents collected from high risk caries patients is equal to antibiotics tested in this study.