Recent advances in the study on the form of dental plaque with quorum sensing

Abstract:

Quorum sensing (QS), mediated by N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) and oligopeptides among various microbes in the dental plaque biofilm, maintains flora balance and severely affects dental caries, paradentitis and other oral diseases therapy. Currently, antibiotics are generally applied in treating these diseases. However, plaque microorganisms have significantly different sensitivity and tolerance to antibiotics. To circumvent the above disadvantages, host immune responses have to be considered in the dental therapy additionally, and to clarify plaque biofilm generation and the mechanisms of resistance, classification of signaling molecules and the quorum sensing formation related signal transduction system, inhibitors for plaque microbes and the perspectives were systematically summarized in this review.

Key words:Quorum sensing, Dental plaque, Biofilm, Signal molecule, Inhabitor