Journal of Oral Microbiology

The Role of Bacteriophages in Oral Health and Disease

Oral bacteriophages (phages), particularly those associated with pathogenic virulent species and oral diseases, constitute an emerging area of research. These bacterial viruses can persist as intracellular DNA (prophages) or hijack bacterial metabolism to replicate and induce cell lysis. The phages play a crucial role in shaping oral biofilm ecology, influence the genetics, physiology, and virulence of oral bacterial populations, and exhibit strong antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties, underscoring their therapeutic potential. Additionally, with their high host specificity mediated by interactions with bacterial receptors, phages hold a great potential as precise microbiome-editing tools with minimal off-target effects. Despite their abundance in the oral environment, oral phages remain largely uncharacterized, with only a limited number of isolates thoroughly investigated.

Understanding the ecological role of oral phages is crucial, as they constitute a prevalent, abundant and active component of the oral microbiome. Identifying phages that effectively eliminate opportunistic pathogens or attenuate their virulence, especially those linked to severe odontogenic and systemic conditions such as endocarditis, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pulmonary disorders, and specific subtypes of colorectal cancer, could propel research and clinical applications forward. Extensive opportunities exist to characterize the factors governing phage-bacteria interactions and their long-term coexistence within the human oral microbiome, as well as to investigate the diverse anti-phage defense mechanisms developed by bacteria that contribute to phage resistance. However, significant challenges remain, including the need for well-characterized phage isolates and scalable production of stable therapeutic phages. Dentistry is only beginning to unravel the complexities of oral phages. This article collection aims to decipher the role of oral phages in health and disease and harnessing their potential for targeted phage-based therapies.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Studies examining the prevalence, abundance, activity of phages in relation to oral health and disease.
• Studies examining spatial and temporal dynamics of phages
• Genomic and metagenomic analyses to explore the genetic diversity of phages, phage-like elements, and anti-phage defense systems
• Classification and taxonomy of oral phages.
• Investigations into the ongoing "arms race" between phages and bacteria.
• Development of experimental and bioinformatics tools for studying the oral phageome.
• Novel phage species and phage enzymes
• In vitro and in vivo studies evaluating the efficacy of phages as preventive or therapeutic agents, also in in combination with other antimicrobial or anti-biofilm agents
• Mechanistic research on phage interactions with oral bacteria and human cells, contributing to the understanding of how phages influence oral biofilms and immune responses.

Keywords

• Bacteriophage
• The oral microbiome
• Microbiome editing
• Anti-phage defense systems
• Anti-biofilm therapy

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 1^st Feb 2026.

Please contact Zhiyuan Zhang at zhiyuan.zhang@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Guest Advisors

Szymon P. Szafrański, Dr. rer. nat., is a staff scientist at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomedical Materials Science, Hannover Medical School, as well as at the Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development. His research interests focus on biotechnology, applied microbiology, microbial ecology, oral microbiome, and bacteriophages.

Jørgen Slots, DDS, MS, PhD, DMD, MBA, is widely admired for his research contributions in the areas of antibiotic therapy, antimicrobial agents, oral microbiology, and oral immunology. He was the editor-in-chief of Periodontology 2000, the Journal of Periodontal Research and Oral Microbiology and Immunology. He is the recipient of the 1990 William J. Gies Award, the Periodontology Award from the California Society of Periodontists, and the Basic Research in Periodontal Disease Award from the International Association for Dental Research. In 2018 he has been named Honorary Member of the American Academy of Periodontology.

Meike Stiesch, Dr. med. dent., is a university professor and director of the Clinic for Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomedical Materials Science at Hannover Medical School (MHH). Her expertise lies in implant-associated infections, biomaterials, and regenerative medicine. She has been a leading figure in biomedical implant research, serving as Chair of the Board at the Lower Saxony Center for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research, and Development since 2019. She coordinates major interdisciplinary research initiatives, including the DFG-funded Transregio Collaborative Research Center 298 (SIIRI). As a member of the German Research Foundation (DFG) Senate Commission and Vice Chair of its Medical Review Board, she contributes to shaping national research strategies.