In Vitro Flow System for Dental and Implant Biofilm Research

Dental and oral biofilms are a major cause of peri-implantitis, periodontitis, and implant-associated infections. In the oral cavity, biofilms develop under continuous salivary flow, mechanical shear, anaerobic conditions, and stable physiological temperature. Static culture methods do not reproduce these conditions and often generate immature biofilms.

The LAMBDA Minifor Bioreactor enables a dynamic in vitro oral biofilm model that closely mimics the oral environment, making it suitable for dental biofilm research, dental implant studies, and oral microbiology applications.

In Vitro Oral Biofilm Flow System Design

The LAMBDA Minifor Bioreactor acts as the central cultivation and conditioning unit. It maintains a homogeneous anaerobic bacterial culture at 37 °C, ensuring stable growth of single or multispecies oral microorganisms by automatic control of pH, mixing, supply of required gas etc. 

Fig 1: Schematic overview of In vitro dynamic oral biofilm model flow system – LAMBDA Minifor Bioreactor with Robbins device

Using peristaltic pumps, the bacterial suspension is delivered in a laminar flow to a Robbins or modified Robbins device containing saliva-precoated hydroxyapatite discs or dental implants.

• Continuous bacterial culture flow to the implants 
• Laminar shear promotes realistic biofilm attachment
• Flow-through operation prevents metabolite accumulation
• Effluent is discarded (no recirculation)

This configuration supports the development of mature, structurally complex oral biofilms on implant surfaces.

Artificial Mouth Model for Dental Biofilm Research

The LAMBDA Minifor Bioreactor–Robbins devie configuration functions as an artificial mouth model for in vitro biofilm development and is widely used for:

• Multispecies oral biofilm studies
• Dental implant and abutment surface evaluation
• Peri-implantitis and subgingival biofilm models
• Antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy testing

Biofilms generated using this system are suitable for downstream analysis using qPCR, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Reference:

Dynamic oral biofilm models based on the LAMBDA Minifor Bioreactor connected to a Robbins device have been described in validated research. One study used this system to cultivate mature multispecies bacterial biofilms on dental implant surfaces for antimicrobial testing under flow conditions. 

Uses a dynamic biofilm model to study multispecies oral biofilm formation on dental implant surfaces.

Other short selected references of the LAMBDA MINIFOR in Oral and Dental Research

1. DENTAID Expertise (2015)
   Bioreactor system LAMBDA MINIFOR as an artificial mouth system for the growth of biofilms.
   Describes the use of the LAMBDA MINIFOR as an artificial mouth model for dynamic oral biofilm cultivation.

2. Salli, K. M., & Ouwehand, A. C. (2015)
   Use of in vitro model systems to study dental biofilms associated with caries: a short review.
   Journal of Oral Microbiology, 7, 26149.
   Reviews fermenter-based systems, including dynamic bioreactors, for dental and caries-related biofilm research.

3. Bravo, E., et al. (2023)
   Biofilm formation on dental implants with a hybrid surface microtopography: An in vitro study in a validated multispecies dynamic biofilm model.
   Clinical Oral Implants Research, 34(5).
   Uses a dynamic biofilm model to study multispecies oral biofilm formation on dental implant surfaces.

4. Alonso-Español, A., et al. (2023)
   Antibiofilm activity of curcumin and xanthohumol against multispecies oral biofilms formed on dental implant surfaces.
   International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 2335.
   Evaluates antimicrobial compounds using mature oral biofilms grown under dynamic conditions.

5. Bravo, E., et al. (2024)
   Impact of Candida albicans on multispecies subgingival biofilm development on dental implant surfaces.
   International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25, 3277.
   Investigates bacterial–fungal interactions in dynamic oral biofilms grown on implants.

6. Khan, S. N., et al. (2025)
   The decontamination effect of an oscillating chitosan brush compared with an ultrasonic PEEK-tip: An in vitro study using a dynamic biofilm model.
   Clinical Oral Implants Research, 36(1), 73–81.
   Uses bioreactor-grown oral biofilms to evaluate implant decontamination methods.

    

7. Nuevo, P., et al. (2025)
   In vitro assessment of a novel piranha-passivated dental implant surface against oral biofilm formation.
   Clinical Oral Implants Research.
   Assesses how implant surface chemistry influences oral biofilm formation under dynamic conditions.

When combined with a Robbins or modified Robbins device, the LAMBDA MINIFOR bioreactor functions as the backbone of a validated dynamic oral biofilm model. Its role is essential for reproducing oral environmental conditions, enabling mature biofilm formation on dental implants, and supporting high-quality antimicrobial and pathogenesis research.

The successful use of this configuration in multiple peer-reviewed studies confirms its value for oral microbiology, peri-implantitis research, and implant surface evaluation under clinically relevant in vitro conditions .