# A Potential \"Vitaminic Strategy\" against Caries and Halitosis
## 4 Discussion  
In this study, the action of the oral preparation Vea(r) Oris was investigated against _S. mutans_ and _F. nucleatum_, two oral bacteria that can be considered key players of the most common oral diseases. _S. mutans_ is one of the most cariogenic species of the mouth environment [6; 20; 60]. Due to its ability to colonize oral surfaces, rapid metabolism, and strong acid tolerance, it manages the first stage of biofilm formation and is recognized as the principal early colonizer [12; 14]. On the other hand, _F. nucleatum_ acts in the later stage of oral biofilm maturation as a bridging species between the early and late colonizers. The latter are needed to assemble the complex structure of a mature and resistant oral biofilm [6; 13; 14]. Moreover, _F. nucleatum_ is involved in the onset of gingivitis and periodontal diseases [17; 61]. Due to its great ability to produce the malodorous sulfur compound H\({}_{2}\)S, its enrichment in the oral cavity is also associated with the onset of halitosis [18; 19; 22; 62]. The product Vea(r) Oris tested in this study is made by only two components from natural sources, vitamin E (\(\alpha\)-tocopherol acetate) and caprylic/capric triglyceride. This formulation was tested at concentrations of 5, 10, and 20% (% \(v/v\)) on growing cultures of _S. mutans_ and _F. nucleatum_ strains. The effect of the Vea(r) Oris treatments on both planktonic and biofilm growth was evaluated. In addition to _F. nucleatum_, the influence on H\({}_{2}\)S production was verified. From our results, the planktonic growth of _F. nucleatum_ was not modulated by the product at any tested concentration. For _S. mutans_, no significant variation was similarly registered with the higher 20% (% \(v/v\)) concentration, and only a weak stimulation was obtained with the 5 and 10% (% \(v/v\)) concentrations. On the contrary, regarding biofilm formation, the results suggested that the Vea(r) Oris mixture of vitamin E and caprylic/caprylic acid clearly decreased the ability of both _S. mutans_ and _F. nucleatum_ to assemble the biofilm structure. Depending on the Vea(r) Oris  
Figure 8: Modulation of H\({}_{2}\)S production. Colored bars indicate the absorbance values registered at the wavelength of H\({}_{2}\)S detection (407 nm) for the untreated culture (gray bar, CTR) and cultures treated with the indicated percentage (% \(v/v\)) of Vea® Oris (yellow, orange, and brown bars respectively). The error bars indicate the standard deviation (SD) of measures, and the dashed lines show the decreasing trend. concentration, a biofilm reduction of 26-32% for _S. mutans_ and 40-52% for _F. nucleatum_ was estimated. Although no studies have so far been conducted with a similar mixture of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and capric/caprylic acid, these results lead us to estimate a possible synergistic antimicrobial-antibiofilm action of the two components. Undoubtedly, vitamin E as alpha-tocopherol acetate has already confirmed its antib Biofilm action against bacteria associated with the urinary tract, mainly belonging to the genera _Staphylococcus_ and _Proteus_[63; 64]. Regardless of the methods used for biofilm estimation and the strain tested, the application of alpha-tocopherol acetate induced a reduction in biofilm of at least 50% [63; 64]. However, although the specific action of tocopherols on the planktonic and biofilm growth of the buccal bacteria has been little investigated, [PERSON] et al. showed that toothpaste added with tocopherols produced in vitro antimicrobial activity against _S. mutans_ and _E. faecalis_[65]. At the same time, the bactericidal effects of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), to which the capric/caprylic acid of Vea(r) Oris belongs, was also highlighted. [PERSON] et al. demonstrated that short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids exhibit patterns of inhibition against a wide panel of oral bacteria, comprising _S. mutans_, _Streptococcus_ _sengis_, _Candida albicans_, _Aggregatibacter actinomycetemomitans_, _Fusobacterium nucleatum_, and _Porphyromonas gingivalis_[66].