Study: Coffee species inhibits dental biofilm, increases calcium

Brazilian researchers have found that a certain type of coffee bean has antibacterial properties that inhibit dental biofilms and also increases the calcium in teeth, according to a new study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology (June 7, 2014).

"The search for new antibacterial agents derived from natural products from plants could be an alternative to those derived from synthetic products, mainly in response to the overwhelming concern of consumers over the safety of these synthetic products," the researchers wrote. Previous research has shown that coffee has properties that can combat some diseases, including dental caries, they noted. Coffea canephora is rich in polyphenols, compounds shown to prevent oral diseases, particularly biofilm-related diseases. A recent study found that C. canephora extract has an antibacterial effect against Streptococcus mutans and has a preventive effect against demineralization of tooth enamel (Archives of Oral Biology, June 2011, Vol. 56:6, pp. 556-564).

So the researchers from Brazil wanted to study the effects of C. canephora further. They examined the effects of C. canephora extract (CEE) on cultivated biofilms on extracted primary deciduous molars. The teeth were treated daily for one minute for a week with one of three ways: C. canephora aqueous extract at 20%, purified water, and an antibiotic. A fourth group was untreated and served as a control. The researchers measured the calcium content of the teeth at baseline and at four and seven days of treatment by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry.

They found that calcium increased in the groups treated with the coffee extract and the antibiotic. "The increase in calcium after treatment with CCE is probably due to its antibacterial effect, which caused the bacterial lysis and consequent release of calcium in the medium," the researchers wrote.

The study findings revealed that Coffea canephora inhibits dental biofilm, they noted. The advantage of coffee as an antibacterial beverage is that it is consumed in a concentrated form (6% to 10%), compared with various medicinal forms that have shown such effect in vitro and are usually consumed at 1% to 2%, they added.

"Therefore, a light-roasted C. canephora aqueous extract can be considered as a potential anticariogenic substance," the researchers concluded.