Tooth-binding micelles for dental caries prevention.

Maintenance of the effective local concentration of antimicrobials on the tooth surface is critical for the management of cariogenic bacteria in the oral cavity. We report on the design of a simple tooth-binding micellar drug delivery platform that would effectively bind to tooth surfaces. To achieve tooth-binding ability, the chain termini of biocompatible Pluronic copolymers were modified with a biomineral-binding moiety (i.e., alendronate). The micelles formulated with this polymer were shown to be able to swiftly (<1 min) bind to hydroxyapatite (HA; a model tooth surface) and gradually release the encapsulated model antimicrobial (farnesol). These tooth-binding micelles were negatively charged and had an average effective hydrodynamic diameter of less than 100 nm. In vitro biofilm inhibition studies demonstrated that the farnesol-containing tooth-binding micelles were able to provide significantly stronger inhibition of Streptococcus mutans UA159 biofilm formation on HA discs than the untreated blank control micelles (P < 0.0001). Upon further optimization, this delivery platform could provide an effective tool for caries prevention and treatment.