Oral Biofilm Cryotherapy as a Novel Ecological Modulation Approach

This study assessed the effects of cryotherapy on in vitro oral biofilms. One cryo-cycle immediately reduced biofilm load by 0.2 to 0.4 log10 Geq/mL, which increased with additional treatment cycles. Although the bacterial load of treated biofilms recovered to the control level within 24 hours, CLSM revealed structural alterations. SEM confirmed compositional alterations, supported by v-qPCR findings showing a lower incidence of pathogenic species (≈≤10%) compared to untreated biofilms, which contained ≈45% and 13% pathogenic species in dysbiotic and symbiotic biofilms. Spray cryotherapy exhibited promising results as a novel approach to control oral biofilms. By selectively targeting oral pathobionts while preserving commensals, spray cryotherapy could modify the ecology of in vitro oral biofilms, promoting symbiosis and preventing dysbiosis without using antiseptics or antimicrobials.