Modelling and Modulation of the Oral Microbiome

The application of next generation sequencing technologies to analysis of oral samples has revolutionized our understanding of the oral microbiome and its role in health and disease. It is now recognized that oral diseases such as dental caries, periodontitis, and even oral cancer, are associated with a shift from a balanced microbial community (normobiosis) to an unbalanced one (dysbiosis) – and within the microbial community, certain species may be disproportionately important in driving dysbiosis and community pathogenicity. An evolving strategy, therefore, to control these diseases has been to modulate the oral microbiome in favor of normobiosis, using agents such as prebiotics, probiotics and selective antimicrobials, whose effects on shaping oral microbial communities may occur at lower concentrations and in subtler ways than their direct antimicrobial effects. Microbiome modulators have been extensively explored in the context of the gut health, but their applicability to oral health remains under-investigated.

Key to this area of research is to have reliable, high-throughput in vitro or ex vivo oral microbiome models that can be used to screen multiple compounds and bacterial strains to identify those with microbiome-modulating potential that in turn can be considered for testing in animals, and eventually, humans. Also of relevance are lower throughput models that provide insight into mechanisms that may be exploited to modulate the oral community to maintain or restore normobiosis. Many oral biofilm models have been described, ranging from those developed from a handful of oral microbial species to those grown from clinical inocula in low-throughput, complex reactors or in simpler, high throughput devices such as Calgary or microtiter plates. However, there have been few attempts to specifically optimize these models for screening for microbiome modulators. In addition, there has been a lack of quantitative tools for measurement of oral microbiome modulation. This Research Topic aims to address these gaps of knowledge.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions, both original research and review articles, in the area of modeling and modulation of the oral microbiome. Studies of interest include, but are not limited to:

1-   Development of in vitro, ex vivo and in silico, disease-specific oral biofilm/microbiome models, particularly those focusing on:

a.    Replicating normobiosis and dysbiosis

b.    Screening of microbiome modulators

c.    Understanding processes that maintain or restore normobiosis.

d.    Investigating inter-kingdom interaction.

2-   In vitro, animal or human investigations into the use of prebiotics, probiotics and other novel approaches to compositionally and/or functionally modulate the oral microbiome.

3-   Tools for quantitative measurement of microbiome modulation. 

Prof Devine is in receipt of funding from Colgate Palmolive Inc, for a research project ending in November 2021. She also owns a small number of shares in Nationwide Building Society.