• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.209-215
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• 2016

Chlorhexidine has long been used in mouth washes for the control of dental caries, gingivitis and dental plaque. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial substance to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Concentrations lower than the MIC are called sub minimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs). Many studies have reported that sub-MICs of antimicrobial substances can affect the virulence of bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sub-MIC chlorhexidine on biofilm formation and coaggregation of oral early colonizers, such as Streptococcus gordonii, Actinomyces naeslundii and Actinomyces odontolyticus. The biofilm formation of S. gordonii, A. naeslundii and A. odontolyticus was not affected by sub-MIC chlorhexidine. However, the biofilm formation of S. mutans increased after incubation with sub-MIC chlorhexidine. In addition, cell surface hydrophobicity of S. mutans treated with sub-MIC of chlorhexidine, decreased when compared with the group not treated with chlorhexidine. However, significant differences were seen with other bacteria. Coaggregation of A. naeslundii with A. odontolyticus reduced by sub-MIC chlorhexidine, whereas the coaggreagation of A. naeslundii with S. gordonii remained unaffected. These results indicate that sub-MIC chlorhexidine could influence the binding properties, such as biofilm formation, hydrophobicity and coaggregation, in early colonizing streptococci and actinomycetes.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.189-196
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• 2015

Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest antibiotic concentration that inhibits the visible growth of bacteria. Sub-minimal inhibitory concentration (Sub-MIC) is defined as the concentration of an antimicrobial agent that does not have an effect on bacterial growth but can alter bacterial biochemistry, thus reducing bacterial virulence. Many studies have confirmed that sub-MICs of antibiotics can inhibit bacterial virulence factors. However, most studies were focused on Gram-negative bacteria, while few studies on the effect of sub-MICs of antibiotics on Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, we examined the influence of sub-MICs of doxycycline, tetracycline, penicillin and amoxicillin on biofilm formation and coaggregation of Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Actinomyces odontolyticus. In this study, incubation with sub-MIC of antibiotics had no effect on the biofilm formation of S. gordonii and A. naeslundii. However, S. mutans showed increased biofilm formation after incubation with sub-MIC amoxicillin and penicillin. Also, the biofilm formation of A. odontolyticus was increased after incubating with sub-MIC penicillin. Coaggregation of A. naeslundii with S. gordonii and A. odontolyticus was diminished by sub-MIC amoxicillin. These observations indicated that sub-MICs of antibiotics could affect variable virulence properties such as biofilm formation and coaggregation in Gram-positive oral bacteria.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.129-132
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• 2018

Enterococcus faecalis is a major causative agent of endodontic treatment failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate bactericidal effects of ethanol extract of Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen extract) on five strains of E. faecalis that were isolated from human oral cavities. The bactericidal effects of mangosteen extract were assessed by measurement of minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value. The cytotoxicity of mangosteen extract on immortalized human gingival fibroblasts, hTERT-hNOF, was determined based on cell counting method. The data revealed the MBC value of mangosteen extract against the E. faecalis strains was $4{\mu}g/ml$. Additionally, the cell viability of mangosteen extract on hTERT-hNOF was 83.7-89.1% at the 1 to $16{\mu}g/ml$. These findings indicated that mangosteen extract could be used as a root canal cleaner during management of endodontic treatment failure caused by E. faecalis.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.43-49
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to develop PCR primers that are specific for Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus parasanguinis, and Streptococcus gordonii. We designed the S. sanguinis-, S. parasanguinis-, and S. gordonii-specific primers, Ssa21-F3/Ssa21-R2, Spa17-F/Spa17-R, and Sgo41-F1/Sgo41-R1 respectively, based on the nucleotide sequences of the Ssa21, Spa17, and Sgo41 DNA probes that were screened using inverted dot blot hybridization (IDBH). The species-specificity of these primers was assessed against 43 strains of mitis group streptococci, including clinical strains of S. sanguinis, S. parasanguinis, and S. gordonii. The resulting PCR data revealed that species-specific amplicons had been obtained from all strains of the target species tested, and that none of these amplicons occurred in any other strains from other species. These results suggest that the Ssa21-F3/Ssa21-R2, Spa17-F/Spa17-R, and Sgo41-F1/Sgo41-R1 primers may be useful in detecting S. sanguinis, S. parasanguinis, and S. gordonii at the species level, respectively.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.61-65
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• 2013

Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic and inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by stimulating the dissociation of the peptidyl-tRNA molecule from the ribosomes during elongation. The use of macrolides has increased dramatically over the last few years and has led to an increase in bacterial resistance to these antibiotics. Bacterial resistance to erythromycin is generally conferred by the ribosome methylation and/or transport (efflux) protein genes. Among the identified erythromycin-resistant genes, erm(B) (erythromycin methylation) and mef(A) (macrolide efflux) are generally detectable in erythromycin-resistant streptococcal species. The distribution of these genes in oral streptococcal isolates has been reported in studies from other countries but has not been previously examined in a Korean study. We here examined by PCR the presence of erm(B) and mef(A) in oral streptococci isolated from Korean dental plaques. Among the 57 erythromycin-resistant strains tested, 64.9% harbored erm(B) whereas 40.4% were positive for mef(A). Eleven isolates had both the erm(B) and mef(A) genes. Twenty six isolates had only erm(B) and 12 isolates had only mef(A). Eight of the 57 strains examined were negative for both genes.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.155-159
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• 2021

This study aimed to develop strain-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to detect Fusobacterium hwasookii KCOM 1249^T, F. hwasookii KCOM 1253, F. hwasookii KCOM 1256, F. hwasookii KCOM 1258, and F. hwasookii KCOM 1268 on the basis of nucleotide sequences of a gene specific to each strain. The unique genes for each F. hwasookii strain were determined on the basis of their genome sequences using Roary. The strain-specific PCR primers based on each strain-specific gene were designed using PrimerSelect. The specificity of each PCR primer was determined using the genomic DNA of the 5 F. hwasookii strains and 25 strains of oral bacterial species. The detection limit and sensitivity of each strain-specific PCR primer pair were determined using the genomic DNA of each target strain. The results showed that the strain-specific PCR primers correspond to F. hwasookii KCOM 1249^T, F. hwasookii KCOM 1253, F. hwasookii KCOM 1258, F. hwasookii KCOM 1256/F. nucleatum subsp. polymorphum KCOM 1260, or F. hwasookii KCOM 1268/Fusobacterium sp. oral taxon 203 were developed. The detection limits of these strain-specific PCR primers ranged from 0.2 to 2 ng of genomic DNA for each target strain. The results suggest that these strain-specific PCR primers are valuable in quality control for detecting specific F. hwasookii strains.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.96-106
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• 2019

Background: Factors affecting oral function include tooth number, oral muscle strength, and oral diseases. This study aimed to investigate the relationship among oral environment, muscle, and microbiology. Methods: Fifty-six elderly individuals in a day care center were included in the study. The survey regarding tongue and lip muscle strength and oral microorganisms was conducted from November to December 2018. Results: Tongue and lip muscle strength were greater in men than women (p>0.05). Tongue muscle strength was greater in the ${\leq}80-year-old$ group ($34.94{\pm}9.85$) than the ${\geq}90-year-old$ group ($25.57{\pm}7.54$) (p<0.05). Tongue muscle strength and lip muscle strength were greater in the ${\geq}15$ functional teeth group ($34.08{\pm}9.31$ and $9.25{\pm}1.63$, respectively) than in the <15 functional teeth group ($28.08{\pm}7.53$ and $7.76{\pm}1.51$, respectively) (p<0.05). Age was significantly correlated with functional tooth number, denture use, and tongue muscle strength. The number of functional teeth was positively correlated with tongue muscle strength, lip muscle strength, and oral microorganisms. Denture use was negatively correlated with tongue and lip muscle strength. Tongue muscle strength was significantly correlated with lip muscle strength. The number of Eubacterium nodatum was higher in men than women. The number of Parvimonas micra and Enterococcus faecalis was higher in the groups with ${\geq}15$ functional teeth, denture use, and greater tongue and lip muscle strength. The number of Lactobacillus casei was higher in the group that uses dentures and with greater tongue strength. Conclusion: Oral microbiology is more important in oral environment and management than oral muscle function. The correlation between oral muscle and oral microorganism requires further study. Therefore, oral care training should be conducted to improve the oral care practice of elderly individuals, maintain oral health through oral care, and prevent the decrease in saliva secretion by aging.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 1983

Various investigations have been carried out to elucidate the causative relationship between specific oral bacterial species and dental caries since it was first demonstrated that selected streptococoal species produced dental caries in germfree rats when fed a high-sucrose diet. Now, S. mutans is considered to play an important role in the development of dental caries in animals and humans, and only a limited number of species of bacteria other than S. mutans are occasionally found to be cariogenic in experimental animals. In this regard, association of the number of S. mutans in approximal plaque with caries experience (DMFT) was studied from 137 Korean school children($10{\sim}11$ year old). Biotypes of the collected strains of S. mutans were determined, and their relationship with caries status was also examined. The following results were emerged from the study. 1. S. mutans was detected in the plaques of all children. 2. Statistically significant positive correlation(r=0.445, p<0.001) was found between the caries experience(DMFT) and the number of S. mutans in approximal plaques. 3. The number of S. mutans were significantly higher(p<0.001) in plaques removed from carious surface than from sound surface. 4. The most frequent biotype was biotype I(78.8%), followed by IV(33.1%) and V(09.5%). Biotype II was isolated in the plaque of two children(1.7%) only. 5. There was no apparent relation of specific biotypes to carious status.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.22 no.9 s.184
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• pp.793-801
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• 1984

Though oral microgranisms were among the first to be observed by humans, the interest in oral microbiology lagged. When it became apparent that the oral microflora did influence systemic disease of the body, interest was aroused in the nature and kinds of the microgranisms. The risk of infection in dental procedures is due to the abundant flora of the mouth. This hazard can be reduced to some extent by the use of a local disinfectant. The present studies were undertaken to evaluate and compare the various disinfectants which are commonly used in clinics and hospitals. The results were as follows. 1. The bactericidal activity of the disinfectants mainly depends upon the kinds of the agents, not upon the kinds of the microorganisms. 2. In H₂O₂(3%), the bactericidal activity was greatly related to the contact time. So, at least 4 minitues of contract time was required to use it as an oral antiseptic. 3. In ethyl alcohol (70%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus salivarius surived a little after 15 seconds of contact time, but, no other colony was discovered after more than 15 seconds of contact time in any kins of microorganisms. 4. Merthiolate (0.1%) showed low antibacterial activity, more in Gram-positive organisms and less in Gram-negative organisms. 5. Benzalkonium chloride (0.1%) and povidone-iodine (10%) showed the most excellent results, revealing no surviving organisms only after 14 seconds of contact time.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.572-576
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• 2006

To obtain primary idea on oral bacterium species that are generally present in periodotally healthy Koreans, the oral bacterial flora in the saliva of four periodontally healthy Koreans at different ages (5, 32, 35, 65) was investigated in this study. For this investigation, 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were generated from the saliva of the four healthy Koreans, and 50 clones were randomly selected from each saliva clone library and sequenced. Totally, 37 different kinds of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences were identified based on sequence homology search through GenBank database. The 37 kinds of saliva clone sequences were classified to 14 genera and 2 uncultured and 1 unidentified bacteria. Among the 14 identified genera, Streptococcus, Prevotella, and Veillollella were common genera, and Streptococcus was dominant genus that accounted for 7 different species. Among the seven Streptococcus species, S. salivarius appeared as the most common species. More numbers of species belonging to the genera Streptococcus and Prevotella was present in saliva from ages 32 and 35. While saliva from ages 5 and 65 showed more numbers of species belonging to the genera Rothia, including potential pathogenic species. Overall, saliva of a young child and a senior showed higher bacterial diversity than that of young adults.