title: The oral microbiome - an update for oral healthcare professionals.
abstract: For millions of years, our resident microbes have coevolved and coexisted with us in a mostly harmonious symbiotic relationship. We are not distinct entities from our microbiome, but together we form a 'superorganism' or holobiont, with the microbiome playing a significant role in our physiology and health. The mouth houses the second most diverse microbial community in the body, harbouring over 700 species of bacteria that colonise the hard surfaces of teeth and the soft tissues of the oral mucosa. Through recent advances in technology, we have started to unravel the complexities of the oral microbiome and gained new insights into its role during both health and disease. Perturbations of the oral microbiome through modern-day lifestyles can have detrimental consequences for our general and oral health. In dysbiosis, the finely-tuned equilibrium of the oral ecosystem is disrupted, allowing disease-promoting bacteria to manifest and cause conditions such as caries, gingivitis and periodontitis. For practitioners and patients alike, promoting a balanced microbiome is therefore important to effectively maintain or restore oral health. This article aims to give an update on our current knowledge of the oral microbiome in health and disease and to discuss implications for modern-day oral healthcare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers allé 4, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kilian
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: I L C
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Chapple
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology and Preventive Dentistry, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hannig
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.affiliation: CHU Rennes, EA 1254 Microbiologie Risques infectieux, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meuric
authors.affiliation: Section of Oral Medicine, Clinical Oral Physiology, Oral Pathology and Anatomy, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: A M L
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: European Research Group on Periodontology, Genova, Italy and Department of Periodontology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tonetti
authors.affiliation: Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zaura
mesh_terms: D003731:Dental Caries; D006801:Humans; D064307:Microbiota; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D009909:Oral Health; D010518:Periodontitis