The Connecting Role of Oral Microbiome and Inflammatory Mediators in Oral and Systemic Diseases

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About this Research Topic

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Background

Increasing evidence shows that oral health status is associated with a variety of systemic diseases, including, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and several malignancies (oral cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and prostate cancer, etc.). Oral microbiota and inflammatory mediators have been found to influence both oral and systemic diseases by two primary pathways: the dissemination in the peripheral bloodstream via periodontal pockets and through the digestive tract via the alimentary pathway.

Although accruing evidence links oral microbiome and inflammatory mediators with systemic diseases, experimental data verifying this linkage are limited. Along with the advances in genomic and metagenomic technology, the oral microbial community is being documented at scale. Omics technologies can facilitate the understanding of how the oral microbiome influences systemic diseases. In particular, the impact of the oral microbiome, proteome and metabolome on the pathogenesis of systemic diseases remains unclear and can be addressed by multi-omics studies with suitable experimental designs. Future studies are needed to determine whether structural alterations in the oral microbiome might be used for predicting the risk of systemic diseases and if chair-side kits based on microbial biomarkers can enable risk or prognostic prediction. In addition, the genetic and proteomic alterations involved in the oral disease-triggered progression of systemic disease merit deeper investigation, particularly focusing on immune-inflammatory response-related genes.

For this special issue, we welcome submissions that help us understand the role of the oral microbiome and inflammatory mediators in various systemic diseases and the precise underlying mechanisms. Experimental studies, prospective cross-sectional, case-control epidemiological studies, analytical studies, meta-analyses, and systematic and narrative reviews are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
(1) Metagenomic or 16s rRNA sequencing studies investigating the oral microbiome composition in various systemic diseases;
(2) Research that focuses on uncovering the inflammatory response-related molecular mechanisms linking oral and systemic diseases;
(3) Systematic reviews and meta-analysis to summarize the previous evidence showing oral microbiome/inflammatory mediators as linkages between oral and systemic diseases;
(4) Studies using RNA sequencing technology to identify gene expression patterns and alterations in oral-systemic disease;
(5) Studies addressing specific impacts of the oral microbiome on the pathogenesis of systemic diseases using experimental or clinical approaches;
(6) Genetic and epigenetic biomarkers for predicting the risk of oral disease-associated systemic disease;
(7) Clinical and basic research in the progress of oral and systemic diseases, especially that describing the mechanisms underpinning the bidirectional relationship between oral microbiome, inflammation and systemic disease.
(8) Interdisciplinary research concerning oral and systemic disease.

Keywords: oral microbiome, inflammatory mediators, systemic diseases

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