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Published on: July 4, 2018
Changes in the oral ecosystem induced by the use of 8% arginine toothpaste
Jessica E Koopman1, Michel A Hoogenkamp1, Mark J Buijs1
1Department of Preventive Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective:
Bacterial metabolism of arginine in the oral cavity has a pH-raising and thus, potential anti-caries effect. However, the influence of arginine on the oral microbial ecosystem remains largely unresolved.
Design:
In this pilot study, nine healthy individuals used toothpaste containing 8% arginine for eight weeks. Saliva was collected to determine arginolytic potential and sucrose metabolic activity at the Baseline, Week 4, Week 8 and after a two weeks Wash-out period. To follow the effects on microbial ecology, 16S rDNA sequencing on saliva and plaque samples at Baseline and Week 8 and metagenome sequencing on selected saliva samples of the same time-points was performed.
Results:
During the study period, the arginolytic potential of saliva increased, while the sucrose metabolism in saliva decreased. These effects were reversed during the Wash-out period. Although a few operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in plaque changed in abundance during the study period, there was no real shift in the plaque microbiome. In the saliva microbiome there was a significant compositional shift, specifically the genus Veillonella had increased significantly in abundance at Week 8.
Conclusion:
Indeed, the presence of arginine in toothpaste affects the arginolytic capacity of saliva and reduces its sucrose metabolic activity. Additionally, it leads to a shift in the salivary microbiome composition towards a healthy ecology from a caries point of view. Therefore, arginine can be regarded as a genuine oral prebiotic.
