Biomedical and Dental Materials Commons^™

Effect Of Histatin- And Statherin-Derived Engineered Salivary Peptides On Streptococcus Mutans Adhesion And On Enamel Demineralization Provoked By Cariogenic Biofilms, Lina Maria Marin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Dental biofilm is formed onto dental surfaces covered by a layer of specific salivary proteins and peptides named acquired enamel pellicle (AEP). It was previously demonstrated that the statherin- and histatin-derived engineered salivary peptides DR9-DR9 and DR9-RR14 were able to reduce enamel demineralization and displayed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans, respectively. However, these studies were carried under experimental conditions that did not mimic caries development induced by biofilm and sucrose exposure, the most cariogenic dietary sugar. In this thesis we assessed the effect of the engineered salivary peptides on 1) the adherence of S. mutans to hydroxyapatite (HAp), and …