RESUMO
Dental caries is a widespread oral disease that poses a significant medical challenge. Traditional caries prevention methods, primarily the application of fluoride, often fall short in effectively destroying biofilms and preventing enamel demineralization, thereby providing limited efficacy in halting the progression of caries over time. To address this issue, we have developed a green and cost-effective synergistic strategy for the prevention of dental caries. By combining natural sodium phytate and chitosan, we have created chitosan-sodium phytate nanoparticles that offer both the antimicrobial properties of chitosan and the enamel demineralization-inhibiting capabilities of sodium phytate. In an ex vivo biofilm model of human teeth, we found that these nanoparticles effectively prevent biofilm buildup and acid damage to the mineralized tissue. Additionally, topical treatment of dental caries in rodent models has shown that these nanoparticles effectively suppress disease progression without negatively impacting oral microbiota diversity or causing harm to the gingival-mucosal tissues, unlike traditional prevention methods.