Chitosan in oral health: a proof of concept

Nowadays chitosan has established itself as a high sought material due to its biocompatibility, reduced toxicity and high percentage of amino groups that confer it specific functionalities, including antimicrobial activity and acceleration of wound healing, and studies into chitosan's applicability have shown chitosan's potential and feasibility. One of the possible fields of application for chitosan based products is the oral cavity, since several of the existing oral health products possess secondary effects. The aim of this work was to prove that chitosan is a feasible component for oral health products biofabrication. As such a chitosan based mouthwash was developed and validated through assessment of in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity, antibiofilm activity and sensory properties. The results obtained showed that it was possible to successfully incorporate chitosan in an oral care product while retaining a considerable antimicrobial activity. In vitro testing demonstrated that the chitosan mouthwash possessed a wide range of antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens and was capable of inhibiting microbial adherence and biofilm formation. Direct comparison with two commercial mouthwashes showed that the chitosan mouthwash possessed stronger activity than both reference samples. In vivo testing showed that the chitosan mouthwash was very effective in reducing enterococci and streptococci bacterial counts up to 30 min. after rinsing. Overall, the present shows a successful development of a chitosan-based product and is a tangible proof of concept for future utilization of chitosan in oral health.