Oral Microbiota Modulation: Therapeutic Strategies

Dr. Mira will talk about "Oral Microbiota Modulation: Therapeutic Strategies" during our 12th ISM Annual Meeting on Targeting Microbiota, on November 5-6, 2025, in Valencia, Spain

Summary :

For decades, strategies to prevent oral diseases (eg dental caries or gingivitis) have focused on the removal of the oral biofilm and sterilization of the oral cavity. Recent work, however, shows that the oral microbiome confers multiple benefits for oral and systemic health and new strategies are being developed with the aim of modulating oral microbiota composition or activity. The concept of oral prebiotics and probiotics has evolved from the well-established field of gut probiotics, where strains such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have been widely studied for their effects on gut health and immunity. However, oral probiotics differ significantly from gut probiotics in origin, function, and ecological adaptation. While many probiotic formulations marketed for oral health contain gut-derived strains, these bacteria are not natural colonizers of the oral cavity and may not persist long-term in the oral microbiome. In the current talk, I will describe some of the most promising cases of oral probiotics being developed, and how the beneficial activity of health-associated oral bacteria can be promoted by the use of several prebiotics that have been clinically demonstrated to affect not only oral but also systemic health.