Abstract
It has been speculated that the red fluorescence emitted by dental plaque could be related to its cariogenicity. To test this hypothesis, we designed this crossover in situ study, with two experimental phases of 14 days each. Seventeen volunteers, wearing a palatal appliance with bovine enamel blocks, were instructed to drip a 20% sucrose solution (experimental group) or purified water (control group) onto the enamel blocks eight times daily. The specimens were removed after 4, 7, 10, and 14 days, and the red fluorescence of dental plaque formed on the enamel blocks was assessed using a quantitative light-induced fluorescence device. After the plaque removal, surface and cross-sectional microhardness tests were performed to assess the mineral loss. The comparisons were made by a multilevel linear regression analysis. We observed a significant increase in the red fluorescence of the dental plaque after longer periods of formation, but this trend was verified in both groups. The mineral loss assessed by the microhardness techniques, contrariwise, showed a significant increase only in the experimental group. In conclusion, the red fluorescence emitted by the dental plaque indicates a mature biofilm, but this fact is not necessarily associated with its cariogenicity.
Highlights
The box plot graphics representing the values of red fluorescence of plaque, and data obtained from the %SML
Previous studies have suggested that the red fluorescence of dental plaque is probably related to its maturity and thickness, and some bacterial species related to dental caries are capable of producing this type of fluorescence.[3,6,17]
The current experiment was designed, consisting of, to the best of our knowledge, the first in situ study that directly tested the relationship between the red fluorescence of dental plaque and its cariogenicity
Summary
The phenomenon of red fluorescence emitted by dental plaque and caries lesions after excitation with light at different spectrum ranges has been extensively studied.[1,2,3,4,5,6] This fluorescence is probably proceeding from porphyrins synthesized by oral microorganisms associated with dental caries.[1,5]. With regard to the dental plaque, the researchers have first focused on the investigation of individual microorganisms responsible for the emission of the red fluorescence. It was observed that combinations of some bacterium were more associated with the emission of red fluorescence than the individual species of microorganisms,[6] and that this phenomenon is supposed to be related to the maturity of the dental plaque.[3,6,12]
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