A lingering mouthwash with sustained antibiotic release and biofilm eradication for periodontitis

Dental plaque biofilms are believed to be one of the principal virulence factors in periodontitis resulting in tooth loss. Traditional mouthwashes are limited due to the continuous flow of saliva and poor drug penetration ability in the biofilm. Herein, we fabricated an antibiotic delivery platform based on natural polysaccharides (chitosan and cyclodextrin) as a novel mouthwash for the topical cavity delivery of minocycline. The penetration and residence mechanisms demonstrate that the platform can prolong the residence time up to 12 h on biofilms. Furthermore, sustained release can enhance the penetration of drugs into biofilms. In vitro antibiofilm experimental results indicated that the mouthwash effectively kills bacteria and eradicate biofilms. Effective treatment in vivo was confirmed by the significantly reduced dental plaque and alleviated inflammation observed in a rat periodontitis model. In summary, this novel platform can improve antibiofilm efficiency and prevent drugs from being washed away by saliva, which may provide benefits for many oral infectious diseases.