Biofilms are structured communities of microorganisms. Plaque formation in the oral cavity is one example of such biofilm structures. The correlation between bacterial plaque and the development of chronical periodontal inflammations is widely accepted. Although numerous investigations have been carried out, periodontal diseases are not yet understood in detail.
In this PhD thesis, models for the investigation of mono- and di-species biofilms of physiological, caries- and periodontitis-associated bacteria were established. In addition to the antagonistic effect of S. mitis and S. salivarius against the analyzed oral pathogens, the significance of time and space regarding the interactions of microorganisms could be demonstrated in this work. In future experiments, the established models can serve as tools for further investigations of periodontal diseases.