Dental Biofilm Formation: A Scoping Review
Keywords:
biofilm, dental, formationAbstract
Dental biofilm is a structured microbial community that adheres to the tooth surface and becomes embedded within a self-produced extracellular matrix. This matrix, rich in polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids, enables microorganisms to survive environmental stresses and contributes to the onset of oral diseases such as caries and periodontitis. The purpose of this scoping review is to determine current knowledge the dental biofilm formation. The articles published from 2020 until 2025 were searched for using the keywords: "dental and biofilm and formation" in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google scholar databases. Using PRISMA-Scr, existing articles were chosen based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. There were five articles found that were suitable for review. The data presented in the article vary according to the study's location, purpose, method, and samples. The major classes of extracellular polymeric substances that form the matrix are common to most biofilms and comprise carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and cell wall polymers, such as peptidoglycans and lipids. Several unique resistance mechanisms make biofilms particularly tough to manage. Biofilm bacteria employ multiple defense mechanisms, such as capsule protection, efflux pumps, membrane modifications, genetic adaptations, quorum sensing, metabolic dormancy, and stress responses, making them highly resistant to treatment and contributing to persistent infections.
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