Abstract
Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance among 294 bacterial isolates obtained from the oral cavity.
Methods: A total of 100 patients aged 25-65 years were enrolled. Buccal mucosa swabs were collected and cultured on appropriate media for bacterial isolation and identification. Biofilm production was assessed using the phenotypic Tissue Culture Plate Method (TCPM). Antibiotic susceptibility patterns were determined for all 294 isolates using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method against 7 β-lactam antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin, amoxicillin, cephalothin, oxacillin, cloxacillin, and cefoxitin) and 7 non-β-lactam antibiotics (tetracycline, co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, lincomycin, and vancomycin).
Results: Biofilm detection by the TCP method revealed that 9 isolates (3.1%) exhibited strong biofilm formation, 213 (72.4%) showed moderate biofilm formation, and 72 (24.5%) demonstrated weak or no biofilm formation. Bacterial isolates with strong and moderate biofilm-forming capacity demonstrated significantly higher resistance rates to most tested antibiotics compared to those with weak or no biofilm formation (p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that aerobic bacteria remain the predominant isolates from the oral cavity. A significant association was observed between biofilm-forming capacity and antibiotic resistance among oral bacterial isolates.