The Oral Microbiome in Health and Disease: Mechanisms, Modulation, Pathogenesis, and Therapeutic Applications

The oral microbiome is a dynamic and diverse ecosystem where host-microbiota interactions play a critical role in both local and systemic health. Disruptions in this microbial community, known as dysbiosis, are linked to a wide spectrum of oral diseases, including caries, periodontitis, and mucosal infections. Emerging evidence also suggests connections to systemic conditions such as cardiovascular, metabolic disorders, and neurocognitive decline. Investigations into maternal oral health also highlight the oral microbiome's relevance aross life stages, from pregnancy to aging. Advances in microbiome research have revealed complex interactions among bacteria, fungi, viruses, and host immune pathways. These discoveries are reshaping our understanding of infection, inflammation, and oral–systemic health. At the same time, precision technologies and microbiome-targeted therapies are creating new opportunities for clinical intervention. However, many mechanisms remain unresolved, and translational applications are still developing. This Research Topic invites interdisciplinary contributions that explore how the oral microbiome influences health and disease, with a focus on microbial pathogenesis, immune regulation, therapeutic microbiome modulation, and innovative research methodologies in characterizing host-microbiome interactions, emphasizing research that not only deepens mechanistic insight but also connects oral microbiome science to clinical practice, health equity, and public health innovation.

This Research Topic aims to bring together innovative research that advances our understanding of the oral microbiome as a key player in infection biology, immune regulation, and therapeutic innovation. While the connection between dysbiosis and oral disease is well recognized, many underlying mechanisms, especially those involving inter-kingdom interactions and host responses, remain underexplored. A deeper understanding of these pathways will contribute to the development of microbiome-based therapeutics and diagnostics. We also aim to highlight novel strategies, such as probiotics, prebiotics, nanotechnologies, and oral microbiota transplantation, for manipulating the oral microbiome to promote health and restoring oral microbiota communities. At the same time, we aim to highlight novel technological progress in multi-omics, imaging, and experimental and computational modeling available for oral microbiome research. By showcasing both fundamental and translational work, this Topic looks to define new frontiers in oral microbiology and immunology. Contributions from diverse fields and perspectives will help identify novel targets, tools, and interventions to reduce oral disease burden and improve mucosal health.

To gather further insights into the oral microbiome's role in health and disease, this Research Topic welcomes articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and immune evasion in the oral cavity
• Inter-kingdom interactions (bacteria - fungi - viruses) in infection
• Immunomodulatory roles of commensals and pathobionts
• Probiotic, prebiotic, dietary, and (bio)material-based strategies to modulate the oral microbiota and host responses
• Oral microbiome transplantation (OMT) as a novel therapeutic approach
• Integration of multi-omics approaches, including metagenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics
• In vitro and in vivo models for oral microbiome research
• Computational modeling and advanced imaging for microbial community analysis
• Oral-systemic connections across the lifespan with an emphasis on microbial contributions to systemic pathophysiology.

We encourage interdisciplinary contributions from the fields of microbiology, immunology, biomaterials, material sciences, and computational biology. Contributions can be original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and methods papers.

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
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... 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
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: oral microbiome, infection, immunity, microbiome modulation, probiotics, nanomaterials, omics, oral health

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.