REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the gut-brain axis in neurodevelopmental disorders: Microbiome insights and therapy advancementsView all 10 articles
Oral Microbiome Dysbiosis in Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Oral-Gut-Brain Axis and Future Perspectives: A Narrative Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 2Shenzhen Stomatology Hospital Pingshan of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
- 3The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with a steadily increasing global prevalence, yet its etiology remains largely unclear. Emerging evidence suggests that oral microbiome dysbiosis may contribute to the pathogenesis of ASD, potentially through the oral-gut-brain axis, although the exact role and causality remain to be fully established. In this narrative review, we synthesize recent clinical and metagenomic evidence on oral microbiome alterations in ASD and critically evaluate the potential pathways through which these microbial imbalances may impact neurodevelopmental outcomes. We summarize the key host–microbe interactions, including inflammatory signaling, epithelial barrier disruption, and immune-neural crosstalk, while emphasizing that direct causal evidence is still limited. Dysbiosis in individuals with ASD is characterized by altered microbial communities, including increased Streptococcus and decreased Prevotella, which correlate with clinical symptom severity. Moreover, metagenomic profiling has indicated the presence of potential biomarkers in the oral microbiome, which may serve as promising noninvasive diagnostic tools for ASD. While the clinical applications of oral microbiome diagnostics are still in the early stages, we explore the challenges and opportunities for developing these biomarkers for risk stratification. Finally, we outline future research directions that could enhance the understanding of the oral microbiome’s role in ASD and facilitate the development of personalized intervention strategies.
Keywords: Autism spectrum Disorder1, metagenomic3, Microbial biomarkers5, Multimoda6, oral microbiota4, Oral-gut-brain axis2
Received: 08 Jan 2026; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Huang, Liang, Shen, Chen and Wen-an. 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: Xu Wen-an
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