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Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation by Oral Pathogenic Microbes in the Dental Plaques: Implication for Health and Disease

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Implication of Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation in Medicine, Agriculture and Food Industry

Abstract

Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria in dental plaque, the sticky substance that forms on our teeth. Dental plaque has the properties of a biofilm which is comprised of several hundred different bacterial species. Bacteria in biofilms communicate through signalling molecules and use this “quorum sensing” system to optimize their virulence factors and survival. These bacteria respond differently to antibiotics and antimicrobials and more often show drug resistance. Microbial gene expression was found to alter markedly in biofilms. The cells of our immune system release substances to get rid of the bacteria that cause inflammation and damage to the gums, periodontal ligament or alveolar bone. This leads to swollen, bleeding gums, a sign of gingivitis which is the earliest stage of periodontal disease. Such damage from periodontal disease can also cause teeth to become loose apart from leading to other oral infections. Periodontal disease is a widespread and serious health problem in adult population worldwide. To treat such diseases, the expenditure is too high. Furthermore, periodontal disease was found to be linked to other systemic illnesses, such as heart disease and preterm births. The need of the hour is to understand the disease process so that we may be able to control periodontal disease and improve the health status of the adult population worldwide. It has been well established that periodontal disease can be caused by shifts in the microbial population of the dental biofilms. Therefore, understanding the molecular details of quorum sensing mechanisms and disrupting such processes may open a new avenue for controlling bacterial infections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Krishna University, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Pallaval Veera Bramhachari

  2. Department of Orthodontics, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India

    V. K. Shakeel Ahmed

  3. Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India

    Joseph Selvin

  4. Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Saqib Hassan

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  1. Pallaval Veera Bramhachari
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  2. V. K. Shakeel Ahmed
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  3. Joseph Selvin
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  4. Saqib Hassan
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Correspondence to Saqib Hassan .

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, Krishna University, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Pallaval Veera Bramhachari

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Bramhachari, P.V., Ahmed, V.K.S., Selvin, J., Hassan, S. (2019). Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation by Oral Pathogenic Microbes in the Dental Plaques: Implication for Health and Disease. In: Bramhachari, P. (eds) Implication of Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation in Medicine, Agriculture and Food Industry . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9409-7_10

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