MINI REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1602962
This article is part of the Research TopicProbiotics and Bioactive Agents in Modulating Harmful Oral BiofilmsView all 8 articles
Formation, architecture, and persistence of oral biofilms: Recent scientific discoveries and new strategies for their regulation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University., Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
- 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
- 3Department of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Complex microbial interactions occur on the surfaces within the oral cavity, where biofilms form highly organized ecosystems composed of diverse microbial communities and their metabolic products. These biofilms, typically located on the tooth surface or within the gingival sulcus, play a crucial role in both oral and systemic health. Recent studies have significantly improved our understanding of the mechanisms of biofilm formation, their structural characteristics, and their persistence over time. However, the intricate interactions between biofilms and the host, as well as their contributions to both local (e.g., dental caries and periodontitis) and systemic conditions, remain only partially understood. This mini-review summarizes recent scientific progress on the formation, structural dynamics, and ecological functions of oral biofilms. It also highlights emerging strategies for modulating biofilm composition and activity, the regulatory systems governing these interactions, and potential directions for microbiome-based therapies in future research.
Keywords: Oral biofilm, oral disease, microbiome, colony, Structure, Persistence, Bacterial Adhesion, regulation
Received: 30 Mar 2025; Accepted: 17 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lv, Li, Shi, Wang and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ziyi Wang, Department of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University., Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
Yan Xu, Department of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University., Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.