The dorsum of the tongue may support extensive biofilm formation.
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Biofilm adheres/colonizes mucosal surfaces, teeth, and foreign bodies including dentures.
Biofilm is composed of layers of slow-growing often polymicrobial bacterial colonies
embedded in carbohydrate-rich glycocalyx.
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Glycocalyx interferes with antibiotic penetration, and slow growth within the biofilm
makes bacteria relatively resistant to growth-dependent antibiotic killing and the
bacteria may be difficult to culture using standard techniques.
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Killing bacteria in biofilm requires antibiotic/disinfectant concentrations 10 to
1000 times those needed to kill free-living (planktonic) bacteria.
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Antibiotic dosing based on conventional culture-based sensitivity data derived from
free-living bacteria should not be expected to be effective against bacteria embedded
in a biofilm. A biofilm site may function like a fortress, launching attacks of free-floating
bacteria that can seed contiguous areas and produce infection.
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In general, the most effective way to treat biofilm is by mechanical debridement.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 02, 2010
Identification
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© 2010 American Medical Directors Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
