Oral Microbiota: Discovering and Facing the New Associations with Systemic Diseases

Abstract

The economic crisis of the first decades of the 2000s had serious repercussions on the economy of individual countries, producing a gradual impoverishment of populations. The reduction in financial resources has significantly reduced citizens’ access to care, forcing them to abandon preventive medicine treatments and check-ups. The health of the oral cavity, which had long been considered of secondary importance when compared with systemic pathologies whose course can be potentially fatal for the patient, has therefore been strongly neglected. In recent years, however, new mechanisms of etiology of systemic diseases have been studied with the aim of evaluating some aspects still unknown. The microbiota, whose interest has grown considerably in the national scientific community, was immediately considered as a key factor in the pathogenesis of some disorders. These analyses have also benefited from numerous advances in the field of crop and molecular diagnostics in the microbiological field. Although pioneering studies have focused on the microbiota of the gastro-intestinal system, subsequent evidence has also been drawn from various studies conducted on the oral microbiota. What emerged is that oral microbiota dysbiosis has been associated with numerous systemic diseases. Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue is to encourage scientific research on the topic of the relationship between the oral microbiota and systemic diseases, also inviting the use of new techniques for culture and molecular diagnosis. Particular attention will be given to original works in vivo and to literature reviews provided they are carried out with a systematic approach and, if possible, supported by additional quantitative analyses.

Changes in the Composition and Function of the Human Salivary Microbiome After Heart Transplantation: A Pilot Study

“…Furthermore, analysis of the oral microbiome remains relatively understudied although changes have been identified in chronic diseases including cancer. 10,30 Assessment of the saliva microbiota could also potentially provide insight into the immunosuppressive state of an individual, similar to that seen with viruses in the blood, 31,32 or provide an alternative biological material other than stool…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8] The oral cavity provides primary immune defense, acting to prevent pathogens from entering the host. The oral microbiome [9][10][11] may play an important role in maintaining the health of an individual and alterations, such as are seen in periodontitis, are associated with microbial migration through the bloodstream and increased risk of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular diseases. [12][13][14][15][16] After cellular or solid organ transplantation, patients must take immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs) to prevent immunemediated injury (ie, rejection) of the donated organ or cells.…”

Dental Caries among Refugees in Europe: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Studies included in this review clearly show the substantial effect of oral health on general health and especially on mental health and well-being. Some non-migration focused studies investigated the link between oral and general health, e.g., Kitamoto et al [ 38 ] and Patini [ 39 ] suggest an association between oral microbiota and systemic diseases.…”

Ethanol extract of Schinus molle L. (molle) and Erythroxylum coca Lam (coca): Antibacterial properties at different concentrations against Streptococcus mutans: An in vitro study

“…Research is needed on the role of oral microorganisms and on how to effectively control them. [ 25 26 27 28 ] Another limitation was that only the antibacterial effect against a S. mutans strain was evaluated, since this bacterium is the main microorganism involved in the dental caries development process; however, it is not the only bacterial factor that has a great impact on oral health. For reasons of availability and laboratory logistics, it was only evaluated against S. mutans , thus leaving a line of research that can be continued to expand the results of the present investigation.…”