Oral Microbiome: The unsung Hero
Mouth is the gateway for overall health!
What starts in the mouth does not stay there, it spreads across different organs & tissues. Still most clinical dentistry interventions are focussed on managing symptoms associated with oral health issues which includes tooth fillings, addressing cavities & operating procedures.
Besides, the current dental practices have failed to establish a deep rooted connection between oral health & systemic health issues.
Where is the gap?
Clinical dentistry has missed /ignored the vital community living inside our mouth- 700 species of microbes comprising 100 billion population. While the gut microbiome is the most diverse community, those tiny little bugs living in our mouth are the most dense.
These microbes cover every site inside our mouth — tongue, teeth, mouth, saliva, throat & tiny little cracks between teeth & gums
Oral microbiome interact with our immune system, pre-digest the foods , & release metabolites that act as biochemical signals for various organs inside our body indicating what is coming their way.
Our mouth has a mucosal barrier which prevents the constant flow of bacteria, food, chemical & microbial derived metabolites into the bloodstream. Unlike gastrointestinal barrier( gut lining), mucosal barrier in the mouth is thicker yet selectively permeable. While it blocks many things from entering the bloodstream, it also lets few things enter the bloodstream. Sometimes, it lets in too much even certain bacteria which creates a situation called bacteremia which can impact systemic health issues.
Saliva is one the most important elements of our oral health. It regulates the oral pH level by keeping calcium & phosphate levels high. Saliva is packed with substances which prevents certain microbes to do pathogenic activity & balances oral microbiome. It also provides nutrition to microbes in our mouth while washing out bacteria from the teeth. Everyday, we swallow 1.5 liters of saliva through which different oral microbes transit from mouth to different organs including gastrointestinal tract. Infact both mouth & gut share about 50% of microbiome. When the oral microbiome is imbalanced or there is oral dysbiosis, it allows pathogenic bugs to move to other tissues including gut which could trigger systemic inflammation
The oral microbiome story
When the oral microbiome is balanced, which essentially means that microbes in the mouth are producing beneficial metabolites, it creates a balance & our oral health is at its peak, our blood pressure is regulated, our sexual health & brain health is going on well. The metabolites production is the result of interactions between food substrates & oral microbes. Microbes in our mouth sense food substrates & expresses certain genes that stimulate production of secondary metabolites which could either perform beneficial functions such as nitric oxide production, regulate blood flow, facilitate insulin signaling & more.
However, if the oral microbiome is imbalanced &/or producing harmful metabolites, it could trigger immune reaction & lead to inflammation. This inflammation is nothing but biological warfare against microbes doing pathogenic activities. Over time this regular inflammation could hurt gums, leading to a situation of bleeding or leaky gums. leaky mouth which allows bacteria or harmful metabolites to enter into the bloodstream & impact different organs & tissues. These microbes & metabolites secreted by them can go to the brain, gut , heart, sexual organs & more & start doing inflammation there. This explains how oral microbiome is connected with onset & progression of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, chronic Kidney disease, erectile dysfunction, arthritis & more
Besides, if an individual is on proton pump inhibitors which wipes of stomach acid, the pathogenic microbes in the mouth can translocate to the gut which increases the risk of onset & progression of Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Colorectal Cancer.
Oral Microbiome- Systemic Health Connection
Research has now found that what happens in the mouth does not stay in the mouth- it spreads everywhere. There is a deep rooted connection between functions of oral microbes & systemic health issues as discussed above. If the pathogenic or commensal microbes & metabolites secreted by them can translocate into the bloodstream, it could trigger a range of chronic diseases. While oral health is connected with a number of systemic health issues, we will deep dive into few of them
- Heart Health: Oral pathogens have been found in the clots & plagues of heart patients. Certain metabolites such as LPS & TMAO secreted by oral microbes are said to cause heart disease. Besides, people suffering from gum disease — periodontal disease have a high risk of developing coronary artery disease.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: In situations of leaky gums or bacteremia, when there is an oral dysbiosis, certain microbes such as fusobacterium nucleatum could translate into gut & trigger inflammation there, thereby leading to onset & progression of IBD.
- Dementia: Studies have found that certain microbes such as P. Gingivalis, in case of leaky gums, could enter the bloodstream, cross blood brain barrier & have been found along with gingipain in the brains of those suffering from Alzhimers.
- Pregnancy: Around 70% of pregnant females have oral health issues such as Periodontitis which is associated with preterm birth and low birth weight.
We, at Genefitletics offers Asia’s first & only oral microbiome solution that analyzes downstream functions of oral microbiome to determine the root cause of range of oral disease & their connection with range of systemic health diseases & construct most precise nutrition, supplement & biotics interventions to rebalance your oral biology. Based on analysis of functional activity of microbiome, we also give you disease prediction scores for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, Halitosis, IBD & Chronic Kidney Disease as well glycemic response to 300 plus foods. More details here: www.genefitletics.com
Citations below
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/circulationaha.113.004701
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7027895/
https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/features/pregnancy-and-oral-health.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7853903/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352933/