Abstract

ORAL MICROBIOME, BEYOND MICROBES: A REVIEW

Krishna Kripal*, Lekshmi R., Shanmugapriya P. A., R. S. Senthil Rajan and Blaina Carol D’souza

Abstract

A personalized microbiome, is available in every human body which is crucial to maintaining health but also capable of causing disease. Various diverse microbiomes such as fungi, viruses, archaea, protozoa, and bacteria are harboured in the human mouth. These microbes form a symbiotic relationship with the human host and thereby flourish in the oral domain. This microbial flora affects the interspecies and hostmicrobial interactions, which further impacts the health and disease status of the host. In this review, we discuss the interactions between species as well as host and microbes that take place in the oral cavity and evaluate how these interactions change from healthy (eubiotic) to disease (dysbiotic) states. The dysbiotic signatures associated with caries and periodontitis and their sequalae is further discussed. Through recent advances in technology, we have started to untangle the complexities of the oral microbiome and gained new intuitions into its role during both disease and health. We further discuss the advanced computational techniques to evaluate the dysbiotic oral microbiome alterations along with novel techniques for modulation of the dysbiotic oral microbiome that may help in disease treatment and prevention viz; prebiotics, probiotics, use of nano-sized drug delivery systems, extracellular polymeric matrix (EPM) disruption, and host response modulators. In dysbiosis, the finely-tuned equilibrium of the oral ecosystem is disturbed, permiting disease-promoting bacteria to manifest and cause conditions such as gingivitis, periodontitis and caries. For patients and practitioners alike, promoting a balanced microbiome is important to successfully restore or maintain oral health.

Keywords: Microbiome, Microbe, Symbiosis, Dysbiosis, Diagnostic tools, Diagnostic aids.