Oral Microbiome in Oral and Systemic Disease: Association or Causation?

Dear Colleagues,

Our understanding of oral microbiology has evolved significantly from the first observation of “living animalcules” in dental plaque by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1683 to metagenomics studies on the oral microbiome in the 21st century. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) data on the oral microbiome in health and disease conditions have challenged the oversimplified concept of specific oral microorganisms being the main causative pathogens for oral diseases. As we progress our understanding through NGS approaches, we are gaining insight into the extended role of novel microorganisms in disease causation; this knowledge has unraveled only recently. 

The oral–systemic disease link has been an area of great interest since the pioneering publication Micro-organisms of the Human Mouth: the Local and General Diseases Which are Caused by Them by the ‘first oral microbiologist’, W.D. Miller. To date, oral health and various oral microorganisms have been linked to systemic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, pregnancy complications, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and various forms of cancer. With the support of the latest metagenomics studies, oral microbiome signatures are being investigated as diagnostic and prognostic tools for various systemic diseases. 

However, a considerable debate still exists over the precise role of the dysbiotic oral microbiome and dysbiosis-induced inflammation in the pathogenesis of oral diseases, as well as the oral–systemic disease link. There is a need for more compelling evidence from clinical studies, as well as molecular studies, to ascertain whether the role of the oral microbiome in oral–systemic diseases is merely an association or a true causation. This Special Issue of Cells aims to provide a critical platform for both proponents and opponents of this theory to enable a healthy, constructive debate on the role of the oral microbiome in oral and systemic diseases. Both original research articles focusing on molecular mechanisms and clinical studies, as well as comprehensive reviews on specific topics on the oral microbiome, are invited. I hope that this Special Issue will provide an opportunity to obtain greater insights into this interesting and clinically relevant topic.

Dr. Jaya Seneviratne
Guest Editor

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• oral microbiome
• oral diseases
• oral–systemic link