The oral microbiome is a major player in the mouth-body connection. Although we are told to brush and floss our teeth and visit the dentist every six months, most dentists do not consider the importance of surveying the mouth for good and bald bacteria in the mouth.   Burhenne: oral microbiome affects all body 2020 

Today research tells us that your mouth and oral microbiome are the gateway to the rest of your body. For example, Janack Pathak points out that since the oral cavity directly connects with the upper respiratory tract, the oral microbiome has easier access to the respiratory system compared to other organ systems and may contribute to respiratory diseases like pneumonia.  Pathak: Oral microbs and respiratory diseases 2021  Everything that goes in through your nose and mouth passes through your oral cavities, which are home to millions of microbes that make up your oral microbiome. In addition to the microbes that live in your mouth, you swallow over one trillion microbes every single day. These pass through your oral microbiome and travel down to your gut microbiome, inoculating and reseeding both.  Burhenne: Best oral strains 2021

Our mouths are home to over 700 types of bacterial species. Although bacteria are often described as dangerous, most of the bacteria found in our mouths are beneficial as they help remove harmful pathogens and aid in metabolizing nutrients. The average person has around 250 species.  Dewhirst: Human oral micorbiome 2010

A closer look, however, reveals that the oral microbiome is not a homogeneous collection of life forms, but rather an assortment of mini microbiomes at different sites in the mouth. The microbes seem to be specialists for the niche that they occupy, whether that is the most commonly studied sites of saliva or dental plaque, or other areas of the oral cavity: tongue, cheek, palate, throat or tonsils.

Research about mouth-tooth bacteria has dramatically advanced in the last decade, leading to a better understanding of how of the human body controls wellbeing and dental health. Researchers have discovered that microbial communities in the mouth can cause dental diseases as well as treat them.  There is more information about how the body heals. Wounds in the mouth heal faster and with less scarring than wounds in other locations in the body.  Iglesias: Rapid healing 2018

Floyd Dewhirst, a dentist, pharmacologist and microbiologist, sites:  Dewhirst: Human oral micorbiome 2010

"The oral cavity is a major gateway to the human body. Food enters the mouth and is chewed and mixed with saliva on its way to the stomach and intestinal tract. Air passes through the nose and mouth on the way to the trachea and lungs. Microorganisms colonizing one area of the oral cavity have a significant probability of spreading on contiguous epithelial surfaces to neighboring sites. Microorganisms from the oral cavity have been shown to cause a number of oral infectious diseases, including caries (tooth decay), periodontitis (gum disease), endodontic (root canal) infections, alveolar osteitis (dry socket), and tonsillitis. Evidence is accumulating which links oral bacteria to a number of systemic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke , preterm birth, diabetes, and pneumonia."

Skin biologist Maria Morasso, at the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in Bethesda, states that: "The oral cavity, or mouth, includes several distinct microbial habitats, such as teeth, gingival sulcus, attached gingiva, tongue, cheek, lip, hard palate, and soft palate. Contiguous with the oral cavity are the tonsils, pharynx, esophagus, Eustachian tube, middle ear, trachea, lungs, nasal passages, and sinuses."  “You cut your skin and it takes over a week to heal, but If you bite your cheek, it might hurt a lot but the next day you can’t even find the injury.” Swift mending is clearly useful in the oral cavity, where chewing would further irritate an injury." Healey: Mouth’s curative superpowers 2021 The findings suggest that the mouth is always ready to mend at a moment’s notice.

How oral microbes promote health: It is now clear that the entire microbial community in a healthy mouth works together to provide for the human body. Some microbial residents, such as Streptococcus salivarius, have the ability to inhibit inflammation. The bacterial community also help to regulate the acidity of the mouth: people without caries have species that are able to convert arginine or urea in the diet to pH-balancing ammonia. Furthermore, products of metabolism from the bacterial community help to kill oral pathogens. The latest theories posit that a shift in the oral microbial community permits bacteria that are normally kept in check by other microbes to become virulent, causing oral disease. “Those bacteria are kept under control in a healthy ecosystem,

Dentist Floyd Dewhirst was one of the scientists working on periodontal disease. He catalogued the entire known array of microbes at different oral microbiome sites as part of the Human Microbiome Project. The Human Microbiome Project data confirmed that oral pathogens were present in people with and without oral disease.  Dewhirst: Human oral micorbiome 2010

Associate studies have found altered oral microbiome compositions in a growing list of diseases and conditions, including colorectal cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

Tamara Scepano  Scepano: Probiotics prevent tooth decay 2020 points out that tooth decay, better known as caries, is caused by many factors, making it multifactorial, but its primarily cause is frequent sugar consumption. Some bacteria, such as the Streptococcus mutans, cause caries by metabolizing sugars and producing acid as a by-product. The acid demineralizes the tooth’s enamel, stripping it of its minerals, leading to the formation of caries. Thus, by controlling the presence of these bacteria, caries can be suppressed.

The interest generated from recent studies on oral microbiome has spurred the use of oral probiotics. These are new and novel therapeutics emerging with site specific and well-defined efficacy, which is now known as designer probiotics. These emerging living improved therapeutics [designer probiotics] will without doubt transform existing paradigms of disease prevention, control and management.  Mahasneh: Probiotics in dental health 2017

One such approach is that of medical researcher, Drew Sutton,  Sutton: ProDentium candy who claims to have created a dietary supplement of probiotic good bacteria in the form of ProDentim candy that, taken once a day continuously, helps people increase the presence of healthy probiotics in the mouth. Sutton uses testimonials to support his supplement. He provides no evidence that his candy supplement works. His website is repeated scores of times as a marketing ploy and lacks scientific credibility. Sutton opens his website by referring to a study in the publication, Springer Nature, May 2022, that supposedly found that people who have good teeth have a high population of good bacteria in the mouth. Independent research author Sorochan found no such article in this publication. As much as I would like to believe in such a mouth-dental supplement, Sutton and his candy supplement provide no evidence that it really works. Sutton and his candy smell and taste of a scam.

However, the idea of oral probiotics has spurred others to create their own versions of oral probiotics at a much lower cost than that of Sutton. Unfortunately, these competing supplements provide no information about the makeup of bacteria nor evidence that their supplement really works.

The use of oral orthobiotic supplements to enhance mouth health is still a ways off.

Best oral probiotic foods include:  Burhenne: Best oral strains 2021

• Onions


• Raw dandelion greens


• Garlic


• Artichokes


• Bananas (especially unripe)


• Chicory root


• Asparagus


• Leeks


• Raw jicama


• Apples


• Cocoa


• Flaxseeds

There is no evidence that these foods act to enhance good oral bacteria.

The oral microbiome usually exists in the form of a biofilm that is a complex layer of many different bacteria that form colonies sticking to teeth and other mouth tissues. It plays a crucial role in maintaining oral homeostasis, protecting the oral cavity, and preventing disease development.  Deo: Oral Microbiome 2019

We have been brainwashed by dentists that bad bacteria were to blame for dental carries and bad teeth. But now this information is being challenged by new information that we should be concerned about the mouth more so than just teeth. For the mouth also has good bacteria that help keep bad bacteria in check and maintain good health not just in the teeth, but the whole body as well.

Regular preventive visits to the dentist could be used to pursue more focused prevention strategies. Dentists might examine the activity of someone’s microbial community just as they examine the physical condition of the person’s teeth. By focusing on the health of oral mouth, you can do a lot to support general health.