Ի
As we grow up, our oral bacterial community develops to become a complex and diverse with hundreds of species present. It is now clear that both oral disease and indeed other systemic diseases (such as heart disease and diabetes) are influenced by the composition of this oral microbiota and the ability to “re-programme” the oral microbiome could have substantial health benefits that reach beyond oral health. |
---|
There is also new compelling evidence demonstrating that where we live and our immediate family has a significant effect on our oral microbes and, surprisingly, our own genetic makeup plays almost no role.
These new findings therefore provide the possibility of altering an individual’s oral microbes through manipulation of their environment.
Since bacteria cause caries, successful interventions of this kind could reduce the occurrence of tooth decay especially in children whose oral microbiome is still developing.
Indeed, we believe that there must be a period in human growth and development in which the oral microbe community can be altered permanently.