Oral Microbiology

Oral microbiology is the study of the oral cavity's microorganisms (microbiota) and their interactions with other oral microbes and the host. The environment in the mouth is ideal for the growth of the microorganisms that live there. It offers a constant supply of water and nutrients, as well as an appropriate temperature. Oral microorganisms attach to teeth and gums to avoid being washed down the oesophagus and into the stomach, where acid-sensitive microbes are destroyed by hydrochloric acid. Bacteria in the mouth have evolved methods to sense their surroundings and avoid or adapt their hosts. Bacteria thrive in the ecological niche created by the tooth surface as well as the mucosal epithelium. pH, oxygen concentration and availability at certain oral surfaces, mechanical forces acting on oral surfaces, salivary and fluid flow through the oral cavity, and age are all factors that have been identified to affect microbial colonization of the oral cavity.

• Ecology/Environmental Microbiology
• Epidemiology
• Host-Pathogen Interactions
• Microbiome and Genomics
• Molecular Microbiology of Systemic Diseases
• Oral Health
• Oral Infectious Diseases
• Treatment and Diagnostics