The Oral–Systemic Microbiome Axis: From Local Dysbiosis to Multi-Organ Disease Pathogenesis

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue would serve as a comprehensive platform examining the critical interconnections between oral microbiome dysbiosis and systemic diseases. The timing is ideal, as the field has matured from establishing associations to understanding mechanistic pathways.

This Special Issue would integrate several key research areas:

Core Themes:

Mechanistic Pathways of Oral–Systemic Communication [1]: The oral microbiome influences systemic health through multiple mechanisms, including hematogenous dissemination, translocation of bacteria and their metabolites, and immune modulation [2]. Articles could explore how dysbiosis initiates chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction [3].

Disease-Specific Associations: Research has established links between oral dysbiosis and cardiovascular disease [4], diabetes [5], neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease [6], cancer [7], and autoimmune diseases [8]. This cross-disease focus would highlight common pathogenic mechanisms.

Emerging Technologies and Multi-Omics Integration [9]: This Special Issue could showcase cutting-edge omics approaches, including genomics, metabolomics, and proteomics, in analyzing oral microbiome function [10], demonstrating how artificial intelligence and machine learning can predict systemic disease from oral microbiome signatures.

Clinical Translation and Intervention Strategies [11]: Articles would cover therapeutic approaches including probiotics, prebiotics, dietary modifications, and periodontal treatment as interventions to restore microbiome balance and mitigate systemic disease risk.

Lifespan Perspectives: Understanding how the oral microbiome develops, matures, and changes across early childhood [12], adulthood [13], and aging, with implications for disease prevention at each life stage.

Why This Topic is Timely:

Current research demonstrates that the oral microbiome represents a promising yet underexplored avenue for preventing and treating systemic diseases. Bibliometric analyses reveal that while gut microbiome-disease research dominates, the oral microbiome’s role remains comparatively understudied despite being the second-largest microbial ecosystem in the body [14]. Integrating these perspectives into a single Special Issue would establish the oral microbiome as a critical target for precision medicine and interdisciplinary clinical practice [15].

This Special Issue would appeal to microbiologists, dentists, cardiologists, neurologists, gastroenterologists, and immunologists—bridging traditional disciplinary boundaries to advance our understanding of how oral health fundamentally shapes overall human health.

References

[1] S. C. Nayak, P. B. Latha, B. Kandanattu, U. Pympallil, A. Kumar, and H. K. Banga. The oral microbiome and systemic health: Bridging the gap between dentistry and medicine. Cureus, 2025.

[2] Z. Wang, R. C. Kaplan, R. D. Burk, and Q. Qi. The oral microbiota, microbial metabolites, and immuno-inflammatory mechanisms in cardiovascular disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024.

[3] E. Chauhan, S. Shaguftha, B. Sukka, S. Sakchhi, M. Chakor, I. A. M. Eweis and S.Singh, Oral health as a window to systemic disease: Pathophysiology, diagnostics, and clinical implications. EAS Journal of Dentistry and Oral Medicine, 2025.

[4] L. C. Nechita, L. Nitoi, A. Bazyani, A. Zaharescu, and C. Dinu. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and oral health: pathophysiological links and clinical implications. Romanian Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 2025.

[5] P. M. Preshaw, A. L. Alba, O. Herrera, S. Jepsen, A. Konstantinidis, K. Makrilakis and R. Taylor. Periodontitis and diabetes: A two-way relationship. Springer Science+Business Media, 2011.

[6] N. A. Adil, C. Omo-erigbe, H. Yadav, and S. Jain.The OralGut MicrobiomeBrain axis in cognition. Microorganisms, 2025.

[7] R. Dumitrescu, V. Bolchis, A. D. Fratila, D. Jumanca, B. L. R. Buzatu, R. Sava-Rosianu, V. T. Alexa, A. Galuscan and O. Balean. The global trends and advances in oral microbiome research on oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review. Microorganisms, 2025.

[8] L. Gao, Z. Cheng, F. Zhu, C. Bi, Q. Shi, and X. Chen. The oral microbiome and its role in systemic autoimmune diseases: A systematic review of big data analysis. Frontiers in Big Data, 2022.

[9] J. L. Baker. Illuminating the oral microbiome and its host interactions: Recent advancements in omics and bioinformatics technologies in the context of oral microbiome research. FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 2023.

[10] C. Seneviratne, P. Balan, T. Suriyanarayanan, M. Lakshmanan, D.Y. Lee, M.Rho, N. Jakubovics, B. Brandt, W. Crielaard and E.Zaura. Oral microbiome-systemic link studies: Perspectives on current limitations and future artificial intelligence-based approaches. Critical reviews in microbiology, 2020.

[11] L. Ziuzia-Januszewska, J. Zygao, and E. Broek-Mdry. Oral and oropharyngeal microbiome characteristics, significance, and potential therapeutic interventions. Polski Przegld Otorynolaryngologiczny, 2024.

[12] R. A. Arishi, C. Lai, D. T. Geddes, and L. Stinson. Impact of breastfeeding and other early-life factors on the development of the oral microbiome. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2023.

[13] J. D. Corra, P. P. S. Carlos, G. A. Faria, L. C. R. Pacheco, V. S. da Costa, I. R. R. Mendes, A. B. de Oliveira and A. P. V. Colombo. The healthy oral microbiome: A changing ecosystem throughout the human lifespan. Journal of dentistry research, 2024.

[14] S. Tian, T. Ding, and H. Li. Oral microbiome in human health and diseases. mLife, 2024.

[15] S. E. Kleinstein, K. Nelson, and M. Freire. Inflammatory networks linking oral microbiome with systemic health and disease. Journal of dentistry research, 2020.

Prof. Dr. David R. Drake
Guest Editor

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• oral microbiome
• dysbiosis
• microbial diversity
• pathobiont
• commensal bacteria
• oral biofilm
• periodontitis
• dental caries
• oral cancer
• gingivitis
• cardiovascular disease
• diabetes
• Alzheimer's disease
• rheumatoid arthritis
• cancer
• obesity
• 16S rRNA sequencing
• metagenomics
• metabolomics
• machine learning
• biomarkers
• oral–systemic health
• dentistry
• cardiology
• neurology
• gastroenterology
• precision medicine