The effect of delmopinol on salivary pellicles, the wettability of tooth surfacesin vivoand bacterial cell surfacesin vitro

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Abstract
Delmopinol is a low molecular weight surface active compound, which has been shown to be effective against dental plaque both in vitro and in vivo, and against gingivitis in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of delmopinol on salivary pellicles and on the adhesiveness of tooth surfaces, bacterial cell surfaces and pellicle‐coated bacterial cell surfaces in order to elucidate its mode of action. The interaction of delmopinol with salivary pellicles showed that the effect was strongly dependent on the surface properties of the material on which the pellicle was formed, ranging from reversible binding of delmopinol to removal of pellicle material. The binding of delmopinol appeared to be reversible upon rinsing in all cases. The results from the contact angle measurements showed that the accessibility of polar units increased after adsorption, suggesting that delmopinol exposes the polar part of the molecule outwards after adsorption, but this effect was short‐lived. It is therefore less likely that the main effect of delmopinol is related to alterations in the adhesive properties of tooth surfaces in vivo. It is suggested that delmopinol reduces the cohesion within plaque, and also affects the adhesion of plaque to a tooth surface, thus facilitating mechanical removal.