Abstract

SERRANO-COLL, Héctor Alejandro; SANCHEZ-JIMENEZ, Miryan  and  CARDONA-CASTRO, Nora. Knowledge of the microbiota of the oral cavity through the metagenomic. CES odontol. [online]. 2015, vol.28, n.2, pp.112-118. ISSN 0120-971X.

The oral microbiota is one of the oldest microbial ecosystems recognized. The oral microbiota description began in 1863 when Anton van Leeuwenhoek observed, using the microscope, microorganisms in dental plaque. Recently, DNA sequencing and genome analysis have allowed researchers to build large-scale genomic databases, characterize specific microbial lineages, and discover that the human oral microbiota is compose by approximately 600 to 700 taxa and 19000 phylotypes. All this knowledge is a valuable tool for the precise identification of the bacteria that are involved in complex oral biofilms. In addition, the characterization of oral microbiota will allow us to understand different oral pathologies, and to know whether changes that predispose to a disease, occur first in the host or conversely at the microbial level. In conclusion, the study of the metagenome of the oral cavity microbiota is key to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools that will improve the quality of the patients life. This review puts into context what has been published in recent years on this subject.

Keywords : Oral microbiota; metagenomics; oral cavity; dental plaque.

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