The Development of the Oral Microbiome in Children

We now know that the oral microbiome is pivotal in the development of oral diseases, including oral cancer. We have witnessed an explosion of literature on the oral microbiome in adults and the role it plays in oral and systemic health. We have evidence of the stability of the oral microbiome in adults and how it reacts to internal and external stimuli. However, little is known about how the oral microbiome develops in children and changes over time as a child ages.

The goal of this Research Topic is to bring the latest research on the development of the oral microbiome in children in one article collection. It will be an invaluable resource for microbiome researchers.

We would like to see research focusing on the longitudinal development of the oral microbiome from birth to three years of age. We also would like to see research on the development and/or response of the oral microbiome to external stimuli.

Keywords: oral microbiome, children, caries, development, pediatric dentistry

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.