Mathematical models can provide insights into complex interactions and dynamics within microbial communities to complement and extend experimental laboratory approaches. For dental biofilms, they can give a basis for evaluating biofilm growth or the transition from health to disease. We have developed mathematical models to simulate the transition toward a cariogenic microbial biofilm, modeled as the overgrowth of within a five-species dental community.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe oral microbiome plays an important role in protecting oral health. Here, we established a controlled mixed-species biofilm model and used it to assess the impact of glucose and lactate on the ability of , an acidogenic and aciduric species, to compete with commensal oral bacteria. A chemically defined medium was developed that supported the growth of and four common early colonizers of dental plaque: , , , and .
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