Partial in-vitro dispersal of S. mutans UA159 biofilms by silver-(I)cyanoximate compounds

Silver(I) cyanoximate compounds have antibacterial activity against the oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans, a resident of oral plaque biofilm. As oral biofilm strategies focus on the inhibition of attachment or physical removal of the existing microbes, we were interested in exploring the ability of six different silver(I) cyanoximate compounds to target and disperse a pre-existing biofilm. Here we report that these compounds were only able to partially disperse S. mutans biofilms as the compounds were more effective at inhibiting biofilm formation. None of the six compounds were able to outperform silver nitrate, a commonly used antibacterial in dentistry.