The Overlooked Oral Microbiome and Its Impact on Your Body

What you will learn in this article:

• Why you should definitely take an interest in the oral microbiome.
• What is biofilm and how it contributes to dental caries.
• Why you should not take bleeding gums lightly.
• What can cause an imbalance in the oral microbiome.

Why you should look a gift horse in the mouth

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Have you ever thought about this proverb which teaches us not to criticise what we have got for free? Why the mouth of all places?

Perhaps because a lot can be told by a look into our mouth. The mouth is the entrance into our body and a direct reflection of our overall health. The American Health Institute claims that over 90% of all common diseases have oral symptoms (1). Gum infections, cavities, bad breath, and an increased inflammation in the body can have a significantly negative impact on your health if you do not pay attention to them and start treating them.

The oral microbiome is a population of microorganisms living in the oral cavity - they colonise the hard surface of the teeth and the soft tissues of the oral mucosa. The mouth of an average person can be the home of up to six million of them! That is a real bact-army, and all the more worthy of our attention.

The composition of our oral microbiome changes throughout our life, affected by many factors. You affect it yourself by your eating habits, the medication you use, the way you breathe, and by how thorough and handy you are in your oral hygiene. Genetics is another important factor, as well as your mother’s oral microbiome during pregnancy (2).

Biofilm and its role in the formation of caries

Biofilm is an ingenious invention of microbes. It is a complex microbial community commonly found both inside the human body and outside in nature. You can imagine it as a densely populated housing estate whose inhabitants have encapsulated themselves, and their existence in the resulting biofilm helps them to adapt and survive even in the hardest of conditions (such as efficient detergents or antibiotics) (3).

The tooth enamel is the only natural surface of the human body that does not peel off. This makes it a perfect surface for the occurrence of biofilm, a place for bacterial settlers (4). Tooth fillings, dental bonding, and dentures serve as a similar environment, as their surface remains unchanged, and thus they influence the oral microbiome as well.

Unless this biofilm is disturbed regularly, thick plaque can form on the teeth. Some of the present bacteria can easily be pathogenic, contributing to the formation of cavities, and in time, their effects may lead to an uprising (imbalance).

How do cavities start?

Some of the inhabitants of the oral biofilm produce acids and, if you let them sit on your teeth for too long, these acids contribute to the decalcification of teeth - tooth enamel erosion. A hole in the tooth and consequently a cavity are only a question of time. At the same time, other waste products of the bacteria can easily lead to gum infection.

Regular brushing disrupts the biofilm. You have to work mechanically, though, armed with a toothbrush, interdental brush, and dental floss. Washing or swishing your mouth with water does not rid you of the bacteria in tooth plaque. 

A travel expedition - From oral microbiome to gut microbiome

Most inhabitants of the oral microbiome are harmless. Potential rebels are under the control of our body’s natural defence mechanisms, as long as we practise proper oral hygiene. However, the peaceful life of our oral microbiome may get out of hand. In that case, the rebellious bacteria may become overabundant. Keep in mind that your mouth is the entry point not only for avocado toast, but also for bacteria which may enter your bloodstream and infest other parts of your body. How? You swallow them regularly. Every time you swallow, oral microbes, both friendly and unfriendly (fungi and viruses), may start a long journey through your body. Many of them are heading for the gut microbiome - an estimated number of 10¹¹ of bacterial cells travel daily in this way. One study discovered an 45% overlap between the bacteria in oral and gut microbiome (5). Wow. I’m going to brush my teeth now.

Bleeding gums, an open door

Another entry point for bacteria is your gums. Imagine you are standing in the bathroom, responsibly brushing your teeth. Everything seems to be in order, yet your oral microbiome might be a bit grumpy today. The reason for its bad mood is the impending revolt. The uprising is led by pathogens which bring about an imbalance in the environment. After your skilled manoeuvres with a toothbrush, you professionally wrap dental floss around your fingers (right?!) and you floss and floss. Suddenly you notice a little bit of blood on the floss. Careful now! Do not take it lightly.

Your gums protect the inside of your body against microbial rebels, among other things. They consist of a thin mucosal tissue, similar to the intestinal epithelium. If your gums are bleeding, the gates to your bloodstream and other parts of your body are wide open for all kinds of bacteria, including the pathogenic ones. Bleeding gums serve as an open entry point. 

Microbes residing in the oral cavity do not fear long journeys. Their presence has been confirmed in such distant places as the small intestine, lungs, heart, brain, and even the placenta (6). Wow. What does this mean for you?

Poor oral health has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and complications during pregnancy (8).

What can have a negative effect on the health of your oral microbiome - a grumpy microbiome:

• Antibiotics
• Infection
• Weakened immune system
• Diet (for example, low fibre intake)
• Medication
• Sugar
• Composition and amount of saliva

We will focus more on these factors in our next article. You can look forward to a list of foods to avoid, as well as those that support the health of your oral microbiome. And in conclusion? Relax. The idea is not to frighten you. My intention was to emphasise the importance of the oral microbiome. ♡

The main takeaway

Definitely do look a gift horse in the mouth!

The main takeaway, kidding aside:

Bibliography:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3329699/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8457218/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6163956/#:~:text=Dental%20plaque%20is%20a%20poly,matrix%20of%20polymers%20%5B8%5D.
4. https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2016.865
5. https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2012-13-6-r42
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29051379/
7. https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-Oral-Microbiome-Nelson-Dooley-Olmstead.pdf
8. https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/healthy-mouth-healthy-body/chronic-gum-disease-may-harm-brain-joints-and-gut/