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Study on the effect of a change in diet on caries-inhibiting and caries-promoting bacteria in the biofilm receives Wrigley Prophylaxis Award 2020

Almost every adult has tooth decay - a disease of the teeth caused by the metabolism of bacteria. Dental plaque, also known as biofilm, harbors a variety of bacterial species, including caries-promoting bacteria. Researchers from the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg have investigated the interaction between food components and the microbial communities at the gumline, the supragingival oral biofilm, for the first time. Based on an extensive 15-month study, the Freiburg researchers were able to prove that sugar-rich foods promote the growth of caries-promoting bacteria in the oral cavity of the test subjects. In contrast, the consumption of dairy products and vegetables in particular reduces the number of caries-promoting streptococci and thus protects the tooth enamel. To prevent tooth decay, the authors therefore recommend a diet with frequent consumption of milk, yogurt and vegetables.

For their study, the research team led by Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Ahmad, Head of the Department of Oral Microbiology and Laboratory Director of the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, was awarded first place in the 2020 Wrigley Prophylaxis Prize at the end of November. The prize is endowed with 7,000 euros and honors outstanding projects in the field of caries prophylaxis once a year.

The research work was carried out as part of a German Research Foundation (DFG) project conceived by Prof. Dr. Elmar Hellwig, Medical Director of the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, and Al-Ahmad, in which Dr. Annette Anderson, research associate at the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, played a key role. The project was developed in collaboration with Dr. Michael Rothballer from the Helmholtz Centre in Munich, where the high-throughput sequencing for the analysis of the microorganisms was carried out.

Course of the study - five nutritional phases

Eleven healthy test subjects underwent five different dietary phases, each lasting three months. In the first phase, the subjects maintained their normal diet. In the second phase, they also frequently consumed candy sugar, in the third phase milk and yoghurt, in the fourth phase fiber-rich vegetable porridge and in the fifth phase the test subjects returned to their normal diet.

In order to obtain the biofilm samples, the test subjects wore dental splints containing small enamel samples of bovine teeth at certain intervals during each nutritional phase. After each phase, the biofilm on the enamel samples was genetically analyzed using high-throughput sequencing methods. In addition, the effects of each phase on the surface of the bovine enamel were analyzed.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Ahmad
Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-48940
ali.al-ahmad@uniklinik-freiburg.de