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Wound healing is a normal biological mechanism of the body that helps to maintain the integrity of the tissue. In this process, fibroblasts play an important role in supporting wound healing by migrating to the injury site and laying down a new extracellular matrix. Oral wounds heal more rapidly than skin wounds due to the presence of saliva. However, a reduced salivary flow rate or hyposalivation is frequently found in some patients due to their systemic conditions or intake of various medications. In order to control or treat hyposalivation, the use of artificial saliva is recommended for these patients. Various agents were added to artificial saliva to improve its properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of artificial saliva containing vanillin on the wound healing of human gingival fibroblasts by inducing cell migration in vitro. Human gingival fibroblasts isolated from human gingiva were purchased from Scien Cell Research Laboratories, USA. The migratory ability of fibroblasts was performed on a confluent monolayer by the wound healing scratch assay. Artificial saliva with different concentrations of vanillin (0.12% to 4% w/v) was added and incubated for 24 h. Artificial saliva without vanillin was used as a control. The migration cells were fixed with 25% methanol and 0.2% toluidine blue. In vitro cell migration to the wound area was determined by photographing with an inverted microscope coupled to a digital camera (Nikon D 5100). In the presence of 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% w/v vanillin-containing artificial saliva, human gingival fibroblasts had a significantly higher potential to migrate into the wound area than a control (p-value <0.05). Data from this study provides the first scientific evidence to demonstrate the benefits of using artificial saliva containing vanillin to maintain healthy gums and accelerate oral wound healing. Rinsing the mouth with this artificial saliva is recommended as the most preferable method for moistening and lubricating the mouth and facilitating the healing of oral wounds in patients with hyposalivation.

Dental caries, or tooth decay, is one of the most widespread chronic and multifactorial diseases affecting people worldwide. It is described as the localized destruction of tooth structure by acids produced from bacteria fermentation of edible carbohydrates. The disease process begins within the bacterial biofilm on the surfaces of the teeth. Streptococcus sanguinis, Sreptococcus gordonii, and Streptococcus mutans are the main organisms in the biofilm associated with health or disease conditions in the oral cavity. Streptococcus mutans is believed to be the primary cause of enamel demineralization and the development of dental caries. S. gordonii and S. sanguinis belong to a group of streptococci considered health-related commensal oral bacteria, crucial for forming a biofilm on oral hard tissues. Several types of materials with multipurpose characteristics have been incorporated into dental adhesives. Recently, the calcium salt of an acidic monomer (calcium salt of 4-methacryloxyethyl trimellitic acid, or CMET) has been included in dental adhesive and demonstrated to suppress cariogenic biofilm formation of S. mutans. However, using a single-species model may not mimic the intricate antagonistic and synergistic relations that occur in oral biofilms. Therefore, the effect on cariogenic multi-species biofilm was assessed in this study. Dental adhesive consisting of CMET and 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen calcium phosphate (MDCP) (Bio-Coat CA) was spread over the flat-bottom surface of the 96-well plate and LED light-cured. Then it was coated with sterile saliva at 37 °C for 45 min to form an acquired pellicle for microbial attachment. The multi-species bacterial suspension containing Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25715, Streptococcus sanguinis ATCC 10556, and Streptococcus gordonii ATCC 10558 was prepared and added to the saliva-coated well. Then, the plate was incubated at 37°C in a 5% CO2 atmosphere for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h to support the biofilm formation. The number of vital bacteria in the biofilm was determined with the WST-8 Microbial Cell Counting Kit (Dojindo Molecular Technologies, USA). All tests were done in triplicate and repeated three times. For statistical analysis, Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s tests were employed. The results showed that at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, dental adhesive with CMET could inhibit the biofilm formation of multi-species bacteria significantly compared with controls. The percentages of biofilm inhibition were 29.1%, 34.7%, and 33.2% at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, respectively. Dental adhesive containing CMET displayed favorable multi-species biofilm-inhibiting effects up to 72 h of biofilm growth. It is a promising adhesive for use to prevent secondary caries at the sites of restorations.

Irreversible hydrocolloid impression material is extensively used in dentistry to record and duplicate the details of tooth structure, surrounding tissue, and other intraoral structures. The materials allow dentists to work more easily and perform better diagnosis and treatment planning. When used, the material is exposed to oral microorganisms, some are pathogens, from the patient’s teeth, mucosa, blood, and saliva. These pathogens can be absorbed into the material and transmitted to dentists and other dental workers. Hydrocolloid impression material incorporated with vanillin has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial potential, however, its physical properties have not been performed. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the physical properties of a vanillin-incorporated irreversible hydrocolloid impression material on four different physical properties: working time, setting time, elastic recovery, and strain-in compression. The impression powder was mixed with varying concentrations of vanillin (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1.0% w/w) using the electric vacuum mixer. The impression material without vanillin was used as a control. All the tests were done following the ISO specification 21563: 2021 for dental materials with 15 specimens for each test. The result showed that at concentrations of 0%, 0.1%, and 0.5% w/w vanillin, no significant change in the four physical properties has been observed. However, the working time and setting time values of impression material with 1% vanillin were reduced significantly and did not meet the ISO standard. In conclusion, the incorporation of 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% w/w vanillin into irreversible hydrocolloid impression material showed a significant reduction in setting time and working time. However, when considering the ISO standard specifications, the 0.1% and 0.5% w/w vanillin-added materials can still be used due to their acceptable values of all physical properties (setting time, working time, elastic recovery, and strain-in compression). These impression materials will be valuable for use in clinical settings to reduce the disinfection procedure and the risk of cross-contamination.

The hydrocolloid impression material is one of the most important materials extensively used in several procedures in the dental field. It is mainly applied for diagnostic and planning in the rehabilitation of oral, orthodontic, and maxillofacial prostheses due to its biocompatibility with the oral tissues, low toxicity, ease of use, and relatively low cost. When doing the impression, the material might be contaminated with blood, saliva, and biofilm from within the patient’s mouth. In these procedures, there are high chance that the microorganisms can be transmitted from patients to the casting materials and then to the dentists or to the dental lab technicians. Several types of disinfectants have been introduced for use to disinfect dental impressions. This study aims to investigate the antimicrobial potential of vanillin-incorporated irreversible hydrocolloid impression material on Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. The hydrocolloid impression material used in this study is Alginate, Kromopan class A type I, Lascod, Italy. Different concentrations of vanillin (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% w/w) were added to the impression powder, and the impression samples were made by mixing the alginate powder with water and pouring them on sterile plastic plates. Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 5638, Klebsiella pneumoniae (clinical isolate), Escherichia coli ATCC 11775, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 were prepared to 105 CFU/ml suspensions in sterile normal saline solution. A total of 100 μL of each microbial suspension was evenly spread onto the surface of the impression and left for 1 min. Then, a 2 x 2 cm2 sterile Whatman filter paper was placed on the impression sample surface to make an imprint and transferred to the Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) agar plate. The number of colonies growing on the BHI agar was counted after incubation at 37°C for 24-48 h. Impression material without vanillin was used as a control. It was found that adding vanillin to the materials could significantly inhibit all tested microorganisms, and the inhibitory efficiency ranged from 12% to 98%. K. pneumoniae showed the most resistance since the inhibitory effect started at 0.5% w/w vanillin and the maximum suppression was 84% at 1% w/w vanillin. On the other hand, S. aureus appeared to be the most sensitive species, as the suppressive response started at 0.1% w/w vanillin and the percentage of inhibition was as high as 98% at 1% w/w vanillin. In conclusion, we combined different concentrations of vanillin (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% w/w) into the impression material and it showed a significant antimicrobial potential against all tested oral bacteria and yeasts (S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, E. coli, and C. albicans). The suppressive effects were dose-dependent and ranged from 12% to 98%. This did not only disinfect the impression material from the inside but also disinfected the impression from the time it was inserted into the patient’s mouth. Using this hydrocolloid impression material incorporated with vanillin could be beneficial to eliminate cross-infection for dental personnel. Nonetheless, further studies are necessary to investigate some physical properties of this impression material, such as setting time, tensile strength, elastic recovery, and detailed reproduction.

An oral obturator is a prosthesis used for a variety of dental conditions to help patients regain their abilities after trauma, surgeries, or having congenital defects. It is commonly made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin. Despite that, this resin appliance can give rise to a condition for microbial adhesion and colonization on the resin surface itself and the mucosa beneath. This can place patients at a greater risk of infection. Oral infections caused by Candida species are found to be more common, particularly in immunologically compromised patients and those with other conditions in the oral cavity that often include oral prosthetic appliances. Obturator resin incorporated with vanillin has been produced and shown to have antimicrobial properties against some bacteria and yeasts. The purpose of this study was to determine the adhesion of candida to vanillin incorporated obturator resin. The auto-polymerized resin samples (Orthocryl® EQ, Dentaurum, Germany) were prepared with different concentrations of vanillin incorporation (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% vanillin w/w). All samples were coated with sterile saliva and incubated at 37 °C for 60 min. The adhesion assay was done with four species of candida (C. albicans ATCC 10231, C. krusei ATCC 14243, C. glabrata ATCC 15126, and C. tropicalis ATCC 1369). The resin samples were placed in a 24-well plate containing 107 CFU/mL of candidal suspension and incubated in a shaking incubator (120 r/min) at 37°C for 2 h for candidal adhesion. Non-adherent cells were removed by washing with phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. The remaining adherent cells on the obturator resin surface were quantified by the WST Microbial Cell Counting Kit (Dojindo Molecular Technologies, USA). The Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s method, was applied for statistical analysis. The results showed that the addition of 0.5% and 1% w/w vanillin to oral obturator PMMA resin could significantly reduce the adhesion of all Candida species except that of C. krusei, for which a reduction effect was observed at 1 % vanillin. The percentage reduction of candidal adhesion on obturator resin varies from 9% to 35%, which was highest on C. albicans, followed by C. glabrata (24%), and C. tropicalis (21%). No reduction effect was observed at 0.1% vanillin on all Candida species. In conclusion, vanillin-incorporated oral obturator resin displayed a reducing effect on the adhesion of all tested Candida species. C. albicans was the most susceptible species, while C. krusei was the most resistant. The mechanisms of action could possibly be the aldehyde group of the vanillin structure that causes cell membrane damage, interferes with DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, as well as enzyme activities within the yeast cell. This newly developed PMMA resin could be valuable for the prevention or as an adjunctive treatment for controlling oral candidal infection among patients who use oral obturators.