Optical Attenuation Analysis of Biofilm Formation on Dental Prostheses Using Time-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and Atomic Force Microscopy

Résumé fourni par la source

Background/Objectives: Dental biofilm formation on prosthetic materials contributes to oral diseases and material degradation. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of combining time-domain optical coherence tomography (TD-OCT) and non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) to characterize biofilm-associated optical and surface changes in dental prosthesis materials following antiseptic treatment. Methods: Acrylic resin, composite resin, and stainless-steel specimens were inoculated with Streptococcus mutans biofilms and exposed to water, Orahex, and Watsons mouthwash. TD-OCT was used to obtain extinction coefficient (EC) and optical thickness measurements, while NC-AFM was performed on Orahex-treated specimens to assess nanoscale surface morphology. EC distributions were analyzed descriptively from valid TD-OCT A-scans. Results: Within the examined specimens, EC distributions varied following biofilm formation and antiseptic treatment, with material-dependent responses. Composite resin exhibited the clearest reduction in EC following Watsons treatment, whereas acrylic resin and stainless-steel specimens showed more variable responses. Physical thickness remained relatively stable, while NC-AFM observations of the Orahex-treated specimens supported the TD-OCT findings by demonstrating corresponding surface morphological changes. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the preliminary feasibility of integrating TD-OCT with NC-AFM for non-destructive evaluation of biofilm-associated optical and surface changes in dental prosthesis materials. The findings are descriptive and exploratory, highlighting the potential of TD-OCT for monitoring prosthetic materials while emphasizing the need for future studies incorporating independent biological replicates and complementary biological validation techniques.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.