A defined four-member oral biofilm model for in vitro enamel caries development, composed of Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus sanguinis on salivary-pellicle-coated enamel slabs. The system was used to quantify how sucrose, fluoride, and calcium shift biofilm growth and enamel demineralization.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
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| Lactobacillus casei — ontology label: Lacticaseibacillus casei | NCBITaxon:1582 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Streptococcus mutans | NCBITaxon:1309 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Streptococcus salivarius | NCBITaxon:1304 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Streptococcus sanguinis | NCBITaxon:1305 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
Four-Species Enamel Biofilm Formation
The four canonical taxa were inoculated onto salivary-pellicle-coated enamel for the four-day assay with daily medium changes. This records the defined starting community and biofilm platform, not demonstrated interspecies colonization facilitation or persistence of all four members in every treatment; S. sanguinis was below detection in the calcium arms.
Participating Taxa: Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:23446436 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Defined-multispecies biofilms, formed by Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, S. salivarius and S. sanguinis, were grown on the surface of salivary-pellicle-coated enamel slabs, with known baseline surface hardness; growth medium was changed daily."
Treatment-Dependent Viable Biofilm Counts
Sucrose, fluoride and calcium treatments altered selected viable-count outcomes in the inoculated model. Higher sucrose increased total counts and L. casei; calcium did not significantly change total counts or S. mutans. Species-specific responses are not a uniform community increase or demonstrated cross-feeding. Acid selection remains a proposed explanation, not a selectively perturbed mechanism.
Participating Taxa: Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis
Metabolites: sucrose (CHEBI:17992 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:23446436 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Counts of viable cells on biofilms were significantly affected by sucrose, fluoride and calcium concentrations (p < 0.05)."
Mineral-Dependent Demineralization Restraint
Higher-fluoride arms had lower enamel surface-microhardness change, lesion depth and integrated mineral loss. Calcium at 2 mM reduced surface-microhardness change relative to lower calcium arms, not every mineral-loss endpoint. These are treatment-dependent material outcomes, not microbial competition or proof that altered cell counts mediate protection; proposed calcium/EPS mechanisms were not tested.
Participating Taxa: Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis
Metabolites: fluoride (CHEBI:17051 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), calcium(2+) (CHEBI:29108 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Evidence
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PMID:23446436 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"There was a decrease in %SMC in response to increased fluoride and calcium concentrations (p < 0.001)."
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PMID:23446436 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Lower IML (p < 0.001) and LD (p < 0.05) were found in the presence of 0.8 and 1.0 ppm F."
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which microbial processes mediate the observed treatment-dependent counts and enamel outcomes?
The primary paper and Tables 1-2 support positive experimental outcomes but not cross-feeding, reciprocal competition, calcium/EPS mediation or selective pH causality. Distinguish starting roster from recoverable members. The Results prose and Table 2 superscripts differ on one L. casei calcium comparison; no disputed 1-versus-2 mM claim is used here. The two removed arrows described assay context, not mechanistic mediation. Non-graph follow-up: #1380.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Four-Species Enamel Biofilm Formation, ecological_interactions#Treatment-Dependent Viable Biofilm Counts, ecological_interactions#Mineral-Dependent Demineralization Restraint
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
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| Sucrose concentration | 0.5-1.0 | % |
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| Fluoride concentration | 0.4-1.0 | ppm |
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| Calcium concentration | 1.0-2.0 | mM |
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Growth Media
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