The Oral Microbiome in Systemic Health and Disease: Therapeutics for Reversing Microbial Dysbiosis and Applications in Precision Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

The oral microbiome is a complex collection of microbial species, the balance of which contributes to the initiation and development of oral infectious disease processes, including dental caries, periodontitis and endodontic pathoses.  Current evidence also indicates that the oral microbiome can influence or is associated with systemic health and disease, including the development of cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.  Although the oral microbiome exhibits natural defenses to drastic shifts in microbial composition via the effects of saliva and other factors, it also has the capacity to recover from disease states induced by the overabundance of specific oral pathogens. Following administration of antibiotics or probiotics, the oral microbiota exhibits resilience and eventual recovery from microbial dysbiosis, whereas the gut microbiota tends to sustain long-term modifications.  In research from our laboratory, we have identified microorganisms that are associated with caries-active children and have determined that povidone iodine is an effective adjunctive therapy that has the potential to shift the composition of the cariogenic microbiome to one more closely aligned with non-cariogenic health.

The objectives of this Special Issue, The Oral Microbiome in Systemic Health and Disease: Therapeutics for Reversing Microbial Dysbiosis and Applications in Precision Medicine, are to define the role of the oral microbiome in systemic health and disease, as well as to describe the therapies that can potentially reverse or rebalance the oral microbiome towards health.

As Guest Editor and Co-Editors of this Special Issue, we invite you to contribute manuscripts and to help define the current state of science on therapies and precision medicine approaches leading to the restoration of the oral microbiome towards sustained oral and systemic health.

Prof. Dr. Curtis A. Machida
Assistant Professor Tom J. Maier
Prof. Nasser Said-Al-Naief
Guest Editors

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