The Oral Microbiota

The oral microbiome is a diverse community of over 700 microbial species identified through genomic and culture-based methods.

It comprises a core microbiome shared by most individuals and a variable component shaped by diet, habits, and genetics.

Microbes colonize specific areas, like teeth, the tongue, gums, and saliva, based on differences in oxygen levels, pH, and nutrient availability.

The tongue has grooves and low oxygen zones harboring many microbes, including facultative and obligate anaerobes.

The gum line with low oxygen is a site for bacteria like Porphyromonas and Fusobacterium, which are associated with periodontal disease.

The teeth allow microbes like Streptococcus to form sticky biofilms, commonly called dental plaque.

Saliva contains nutrients and antimicrobial factors and distributes microbes throughout the oral cavity by continually bathing all oral surfaces.

The oral microbiota inhibits pathogens by occupying space and nutrients, a process called colonization resistance that helps prevent dental caries and gum disease.