Oral health is one of the ten standards of overall health established by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO’s 2022 Global Oral Health Status Report, nearly half of the world’s population (approximately 3.5 billion people) suffer from oral diseases. In the report, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros noted, “Oral health has long been neglected in global health, but many oral diseases can be prevented and treated through measures.”
Dental plaque composed of bacteria is the main cause of two most common oral diseases – caries and periodontitis. Common oral bacteria pose significant threats to oral health. For instance, Streptococcus mutans (S.m) produces acidic substances when digesting dietary sugars, leading to enamel erosion and caries, while Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a) is a typical cause of periodontitis. It is estimated that over 1 billion people worldwide suffer from periodontitis, and caries cases exceed 2 billion.
Additionally, in orthodontic treatment, devices such as braces and retainers need to be worn in the mouth for extended periods. The corners and crevices of these devices are prone to plaque accumulation, increasing the risk of caries and periodontitis. Therefore, maintaining the cleanliness of these devices is crucial.
The Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation funded research through which it was discovered that Sharklet, a physical antibacterial technology, has great potential in controlling bacterial contamination of dental equipment. This research project verified that surfaces with the Sharklet microstructure can reduce oral bacterial contamination by conducting comparative experiments on two commonly used orthodontic materials, acrylic acid and polyurethane.
The results demonstrated that Sharklet microstructures significantly reduced bacterial adhesion on the tested materials: reducing A.a adhesion by 97.9% (p<0.001) and S.m colonization by 94.4% (p<0.01).
Beyond testing bacterial adhesion, further research explored Sharklet technology’s inhibition of oral bacterial biofilm formation. The experiments revealed that Sharklet microstructures significantly reduced biofilm formation by A.a on material surfaces within 48 hours.
This research validated the effectiveness of Sharklet microstructures in simulated oral environments and confirms the application prospects of Sharklet technology in the field of oral medicine.