Engineered antibacterial and remineralization strategies for efficient dental caries management

Dental caries, one of the most prevalent oral diseases among adults and children, is caused by oral microorganisms and diet and involves a complex, multi-step process of biofilm formation and tooth decay. The existing clinical treatment modalities are not satisfactory due to the disadvantages of incomplete eradication of pathogens, poor material compatibility and susceptibility to secondary caries. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in treating dental caries, with various strategies emerging to combat these bacterial films and promote tooth remineralization. However, comprehensive reviews on this topic are still relatively scarce. Therefore, this review first summarizes two primary aspects of treating dental caries, namely, the antibacterial and mineralization strategies in oral environments, and then discusses the synergistic effect of biofilm removal and in situ tissue remineralization, emphasizing the critical role of a combined approach for efficient treatment. This review offers novel insights and directions for dental caries treatment and provides reference for the design of oral biomedical materials.