The oral microbiome

Also known as the oral cavity, the mouth is a major portal of microbial entry to the human body. Evidence showing a potential link between oral and systemic diseases has prompted great interest in the oral microbiome. The complex ecosystem of the oral cavity supports the growth of diverse microbial communities including bacteria, viruses, mycoplasmas, archaea, fungi, and protozoa. Synergistic and antagonistic interactions between these communities and the host have significant implications for oral health and disease. Advances in genome sequencing platforms, coupled with traditional microbiological studies, for analysis of the composition and function of the oral microbiome, have provided new insights in the etiology of oral diseases. Current knowledge points out to a symbiotic relationship between the oral microbiome and the host in health, contrasting with a dysbiosis of the microbial consortia driven by environmental changes in oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontitis. This chapter summarizes our current knowledge of the healthy oral microbiome and the microbiome associated with oral diseases, as well as the potential role of the oral microbiome in systemic diseases.