Dental plaque biofilms have important functions in initiating oral caries and periodontal diseases. Given that middle and late colonizers recognize polysaccharide or protein receptors on the pioneer bacterial cell surface rather than attaching directly to the tooth surface, the interactions between early, middle, and late colonizers during biofilm formation are very important. These interactions have become the focus of research in many laboratories. Furthermore, various biofilm models have been increasingly applied in vitro for studies on interspecies interactions. In this mini-review, interspecies interactions within dental plaque biofilm and development of biofilm formation models will be discussed.
