Study highlights association between oral bacteria and diseases

Previous studies have demonstrated clear links between oral health and common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. However, there have been few longitudinal studies identifying which bacteria occur in infected oral- and maxillofacial regions.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified the bacteria is most commonly found in severe oral infections.

The study that I am toking about shows that the most common bacterial phyla amongst the samples were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while the most common genera were Streptococcus spp, Prevotella spp, and Staphylococcus spp.

The study was conducted using 1,014 samples from as many patients, of whom 469 were women and 545 men.

The finding isn't only of importance to dental medicine, it also helps us understand the role of dental infection in patients with underlying diseases. If a certain bacterium infects and causes damage in the mouth, it's very likely that it can be harmful to tissues elsewhere in the body as the infection spreads.

Reference:

"Clinical Microbial Identification of Severe Oral Infections by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry in Stockholm County: An 11-Year (2010-2020) Epidemiological Investigation". Khaled Al-Manei, Mahin Ghorbani, Sabrina Naud, Kholod Khalil Al-Manei, Michał J. Sobkowiak, Bodil Lund, Gulsen Hazirolan, Margaret Sällberg Chen och, Volkan Özenci. Microbiology Spectrum, online 24 November 2022, doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02487-22.