title: Oral biofilms: emerging concepts in microbial ecology.
abstract: Oral biofilms develop under a range of different conditions and different environments. This review will discuss emerging concepts in microbial ecology and how they relate to oral biofilm development and the treatment of oral diseases. Clues to how oral biofilms develop may lie in other complex systems, such as interactions between host and gut microbiota, and even in factors that affect biofilm development on leaf surfaces. Most of the conditions under which oral biofilms develop are tightly linked to the overall health and biology of the host. Advances in molecular techniques have led to a greater appreciation of the diversity of human microbiota, the extent of interactions with the human host, and how that relates to inter-individual variation. As a consequence, plaque development may no longer be thought of as a generic process, but rather as a highly individualized process, which has ramifications for the treatment of the diseases it causes.
authors.affiliation: Dental Research Group, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, University of Otago-Wellington, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO Box 7343, Mein Street, Wellington 6242, New Zealand. Sara.Filoche@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filoche
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Sissons
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms / Q000145:classification*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D054892:Metagenome / Q000502:physiology*; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology