The oral microbiota plays a significant role in human health. Dental caries and periodontitis are both diseases of microbial origin, and are extremely prevalent, posing a significant public health and economic burden worldwide. Halitosis is also very common, and is most frequently caused by bacterial biofilms on the posterior of the tongue. Beyond its impact on oral health, evidence continues to accumulate linking the oral microbiota to a number of systemic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, colorectal cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Over the last two decades, emerging technologies, particularly sequencing, have transformed our understanding of the oral microbiota and its relationship to disease. We now understand that oral microbiota generally forms complex yet stable communities that are in a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship with the host (normobiosis). Under some circumstances, however, this mutualistic relationship can breakdown due to imbalance in the composition and function of the microbiota (dysbiosis), which in turn can induce disease. In the case of dental caries and periodontal disease, this understanding is replacing the traditional view that these conditions represent infections by specific bacteria. These findings also challenge the existing prevention and treatment paradigms that rely on mechanical removal of dental plaque and use of nonspecific antibiotics and antiseptics. Therefore, research and development of novel approaches is warranted.
It seems likely that improved treatment modalities for treating conditions connected to dysbiosis of the oral microbiota will aim to modulate the composition and/or function of ecological community towards one that will re-establish normobiosis. This may be possible through the use of agents such as phage, antimicrobial peptides, small molecules, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics and postbiotics. Although there have been some attempts to explore the possibility of using oral microbiome modulators to promote oral and systemic health, progress in this area of research remains limited. This article collection aims to address this gap. We welcome all submissions, of both original research and review articles, focusing on modulation of the oral microbiome. Studies of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Identification and/or screening of potential oral microbiome modulators using in vitro and ex vivo models.
- Computational or in silico approaches to identify potential oral microbiome modulators.
- Animal or human investigations to assess the efficacy of microbiome modulators as preventive or therapeutic aids.
- Mechanistic studies exploring interactions between microbiome modulators and specific oral microorganisms.
- Investigations aimed at identifying targetable drivers of oral microbial dysbiosis.
Nezar Al-Hebshi, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Co-director of the Oral Microbiome Research Laboratory at Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center for Microbiology and Immunology, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine. He is also a primary member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center. His current research focuses on: 1) characterizing the oral microbiome associated with health and disease employing targeted, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing; 2) Modelling and modulation of the oral microbiome; 3) exploring the anticancer properties of health-associated oral bacteria.
Egija Zaura, DDS, PhD, is a professor in Oral Microbial Ecology at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) - a joint faculty of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She is a chair of the department of Preventive Dentistry at ACTA and Research Priority Area on Personal Microbiome Health (PMH-UvA). Her expertise spans from in vitro and in situ biofilm-hard tissue interactions, cohort studies and clinical research on oral microbiome acquisition and modulation, the link between the oral and systemic health, to complex bioinformatic data analyses.
Jonathon L. Baker, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation & Integrative Biosciences at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Dentistry. The research in Dr. Baker’s laboratory leverages emerging technologies in sequencing and molecular biology to answer fundamental questions regarding the ecology, physiology, and pathogenesis of the human oral microbiome.
Disclosure Statement: Egija Zaura is consulting Symrise on behalf of ACTA on the oral ecosystem and its modulation (2023-2028).
