The Pediatric Oral Microbiome: Insights into Health, Disease, and Preventive Strategies

The pediatric oral microbiome is influenced by hygiene, diet, and environmental exposures, playing a role in dental caries and possibly other oral and systemic conditions. While much remains to be discovered, early microbial compositions may suggest preventive measures and treatments that lead to better health outcomes.

This Research Topic aims to deepen our understanding of the pediatric oral microbiome by showcasing research on its composition, functionalities, and changes over time in relation to oral and systemic health outcomes. The goal is to fill critical knowledge gaps regarding the influence of nutrition, oral hygiene, antibiotics, and medical conditions on this microbial network. We also encourage exploration of the oral microbiome's interplay with systemic health, examining potential pathways leading to diseases such as asthma, obesity, and immune disorders, which may have microbial influences. Through fostering research across mechanistic, clinical, and methodological domains, the aims include identifying disease biomarkers, advancing risk stratification, and supporting targeted preventive and therapeutic strategies based on early-life microbial indicators.

To advance knowledge in this field, we invite you to submit articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

▪ Original research on metagenomics, metabolomics, or longitudinal studies examining microbial composition in childhood caries and other conditions.

▪ Impacts of diet, oral hygiene, antibiotics, and co-existing health issues on children's oral microbiome.

▪ Clinical trials of microbiome-focused prevention strategies, such as fluoride and probiotics.

▪ Cohort studies linking early oral microbial signatures with systemic health markers.

▪ Comprehensive reviews and systematic analyses, particularly innovative methodologies for pediatric oral microbiome research.

▪ Interdisciplinary work bridging basic and clinical science to translate findings into practice.

We encourage you to contribute your research to this Research Topic to help build a comprehensive understanding of the pediatric oral microbiome and bridge gaps between science and clinical practice, ultimately enhancing child health outcomes.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: pediatric oral microbiome, childhood dental health, microbial composition, pediatric health outcomes, caries prevention, microbiome research, systemic health in children

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.