Sustained-release delivery systems of triclosan for treatment of Streptococcus mutans biofilm

Dental diseases are chronic infections caused by oral bacteria harboring the dental biofilm. Local sustained-release delivery systems prolong the duration of a drug in the oral cavity, thus enhancing its therapeutic potential, while reducing its side effects. Triclosan is an agent that was found to have an antibacterial effect against oral bacteria. However, its substantivity in the oral cavity is low, resulting in reduced antibacterial efficiency. The purpose of this study was to develop a local sustained release device containing triclosan and to test its antibacterial efficacy on Streptococcus mutans biofilm. Our results show that we can formulate an ethylcellulose-based, nondegradable, sustained-release device in which 80% of the loaded triclosan is released over a 10-day period. The release rate of triclosan corresponded to the Higuchi's planar homogenous diffusion release model (r² = 0.998). A degradable local sustained-release delivery based on a methacrylate ester matrix was also developed for a faster release rate of triclosan. The release kinetics in those types of sustained-release delivery systems was erosion control. The local sustained-release delivery system significantly affected the viability of S. mutans in biofilm compared to placebo as was tested by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Our in vitro results show that triclosan can be incorporated into degradable or nondegradable sustained-release drug delivery systems. The release of triclosan from the local sustained-release delivery system can be controlled, thus extending its antibacterial properties.