Editorial - Editorial Novel strategies for caries control

Sep 28, 2026

Editorial on caries control presents dental biofilm (plaque) as a key driver of oral diseases, especially dental caries, emphasizing its biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic nature. Using the caries ecology hypothesis, the text frames prevention around biofilm control and diet, noting that existing strategies remain insufficient and that the post-antibiotic era demands new approaches. It highlights emerging directions spanning antibiofilm materials, probiotics, and novel molecular targets.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time5 min

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Editorial on the Research Topic

Novel strategies for caries control

Molecular and material approaches

TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 19 December 2025 DOI 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1756613 OPEN ACCESS EDITED AND REVIEWED BY Christophe Beloin, Institut Pasteur, France *CORRESPONDENCE Xuelian Huang [huang.6337@osu.edu](huang.6337@osu.edu) RECEIVED 28 November 2025 ACCEPTED 04 December 2025 PUBLISHED 19 December 2025 CITATION Huang X and Zandon´a AF (2025) Editorial: Novel strategies for caries control. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 15:1756613 . doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1756613 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Huang and Zandon´a . This is an openaccess article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Editorial: Novel strategies for caries control Xuelian Huang* and Andr´ea Ferreira Zandon´a Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Columbus, OH, United States KEYWORDS artiﬁcial intelligence (AI), caries control, dental bioﬁlm, dental caries, novel strategies, post-antibiotic era, probiotics Editorial on the Research Topic Novel strategies for caries control Dental bioﬁlm (plaque) is one of the primary contributors in the development of oral diseases, including dental caries, a “bioﬁlm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic disease that poses signiﬁcant public health concerns.” Dental caries is more than a localized oral health concern—it is intricately linked to systemic health, underscoring its signiﬁcance as a broader public health issue. According to the caries ecology hypothesis, a sugar-driven imbalance in oral bioﬁlms triggers caries development, making bioﬁlm control and dietary interventions central to caries prevention. Despite extensive research and clinical practice targeting oral bioﬁlms, current strategies remain insufﬁcient. In the Post-Antibiotic Era, there is an urgent need for the development of novel strategies for caries control whether through direct targeting of oral bioﬁlms or through modulation of the oral environment.” This Research Topic assembles original research and reviews on novel caries control strategies, including: antibacterial agents and novel molecules (allulose, L-arginine, lysine acetylation), novel potential targets (fungi, particularly Candida albicans), advanced antibioﬁlm dental materials (anti-caries hydrogels, zein-based curcumin nanocapsules, drugdelivery nanosystems), probiotics (Lactobacillus salivarius), and novel strategies to prevent secondary caries. Han et al. evaluated the cariogenic potential of allulose using multi-tiered in vitro models, including single-species, dual-species, and saliva-derived bioﬁlms. Compared to sucrose, glucose, and fructose, allulose signiﬁcantly reduced bacterial growth, acid production, and bioﬁlm formation, resembling non-fermentable sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol. Bioﬁlms grown with allulose lacked dense EPS-rich structures, while saliva-derived bioﬁlms maintained higher microbial diversity with health-associated genera. These ﬁndings suggest that allulose has low cariogenic potential and may serve as a non-cariogenic, microbiome-friendly sugar alternative. Gao et al. investigated the effects of L-arginine on key cariogenic oral microbes Streptococcus mutans and C. albicans. Using planktonic growth assays, bioﬁlm biomass measurements, crystal violet staining, CFU counts, ﬂuorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and assessments of extracellular polysaccharide and lactic acid production in dual-species bioﬁlms, they found that L-arginine inhibited both planktonic growth and bioﬁlm formation in single-species and dual-species cultures, reduced bioﬁlm adhesion, and suppresse

FAQs

Why is dental biofilm considered central to dental caries development?

Dental biofilm is described as a primary contributor to oral diseases, and caries is framed as a biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, dynamic condition. The caries ecology hypothesis links sugar-driven imbalance in oral biofilms to caries development.

What new strategies are emphasized for caries control in the post-antibiotic era?

The editorial calls for novel strategies targeting oral biofilms directly or modulating the oral environment. Examples include antibacterial agents and molecules, advanced antibiofilm dental materials, and probiotics.

What do the discussed studies suggest about allulose and L-arginine?

Allulose is reported to significantly reduce bacterial growth, acid production, and biofilm formation while maintaining higher microbial diversity in saliva-derived biofilms. L-arginine is reported to inhibit planktonic growth and biofilm formation, reduce adhesion, and suppress extracellular polysaccharide and acid production in dual-species settings.

Sep 28, 2026

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