Pursuing new periodontal pathogens with an improved RNA-oligonucleotide quantification technique (ROQT).

Objective: The aim of this study was to optimize the sensitivity, specificity and cost-effectiveness of the RNA-Oligonucleotide Quantification Technique (ROQT) in order to identify periodontal pathogens that remain unrecognized or uncultured in the oral microbiome.

Design: Total nucleic acids (TNA) were extracted from subgingival biofilm samples using an automated process. RNA, DNA and Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotide probes targeting 5 cultivated/named species and 16 uncultivated or unnamed bacterial taxa were synthesized.

Antibacterial action of nitric oxide-releasing hyperbranched polymers against ex vivo dental biofilms.

Objectives: This study investigates the antibiofilm action of nitric oxide (NO)-releasing hyperbranched polymers against ex vivo multispecies periodontal biofilms.

Methods: The antibiofilm efficacy of NO-releasing hyperbranched polymers was evaluated as a function of NO-release properties, polymer concentrations, and oxygen levels in the exposure media. 16s rRNA sequencing technique was employed to evaluate the impact of NO-releasing hyperbranched polymers on the microbial composition of the biofilms.