Future directions for studying resilience of the oral ecosystem
- 18 December 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in British Dental Journal
- Vol. 229 (12), 769-773
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2407-8
Abstract
The oral ecosystem is shaped by complex interactions between systemic health disease and the resident oral microbiota. Research in the last two decades has produced datasets describing the genetics and physiology of the host and the oral microbiome in health and disease. There are inter-individual differences in the ability to tolerate oral disease-promoting challenges. Identification of the key factors that drive a healthy and resilient oral ecosystem is urgently needed. So far, progress is being made towards replicating the host-microbiota interplay in vitro. Clinical studies may shed light on the mechanisms of oral health resilience. However, most clinical studies are cross-sectional and are insufficient for understanding resilience or for identifying biomarkers that correlate with the point of transition from oral health to dysbiosis. Mathematical and computational models, including artificial intelligence approaches, offer an opportunity to inform the design of clinical studies by identifying key biomarkers and interaction networks in complex datasets and predicting important parameters. This paper discusses some of the challenges and opportunities for understanding the biological basis of resilience of the oral ecosystem. It discusses the current status and challenges, and proposes a way forward to better understand resilience towards oral diseases.This publication has 63 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Exopolysaccharide Matrix Modulates the Interaction between 3D Architecture and Virulence of a Mixed-Species Oral BiofilmPLoS Pathogens, 2012
- Low-Abundance Biofilm Species Orchestrates Inflammatory Periodontal Disease through the Commensal Microbiota and ComplementCell Host & Microbe, 2011
- Moving pictures of the human microbiomeGenome Biology, 2011
- Comparison of the clinical features of chronic and aggressive periodontitisPeriodontology 2000, 2010
- Relationships Among Gingival Crevicular Fluid Biomarkers, Clinical Parameters of Periodontal Disease, and the Subgingival MicrobiotaThe Journal of Periodontology, 2010
- The Commensal Streptococcus salivarius K12 Downregulates the Innate Immune Responses of Human Epithelial Cells and Promotes Host-Microbe HomeostasisInfection and Immunity, 2008
- Computer Modelling of Dental Plaque in Relation to Dental CariesMicrobial Ecology in Health & Disease, 1990
- Longitudinal clinical and microbiological study on the relationship between infection with Streptococcus mutans and the development of caries in humansOral Microbiology and Immunology, 1987
- A Longitudinal Epidemiological Study on Dental Plaque and the Development of Dental Caries—Interim Results After Two YearsJournal of Dental Research, 1977
- Experimental gingivitis in manJournal of Periodontal Research, 1966