TAcOH2
Oral health is generally being described as a state of being free from (chronic) oral diseases. In a recent public-private-partnership, members of the current consortium have shown that oral health is much more than that: a complex network of biological processes actively sustains oral health and supports oral resilience. We were able to identify specific salivary ecotypes in healthy individuals, linked to ecological differences and disease risk. Also, we identified biomarkers linked to different individual clinical outcomes, after a stress intervention. In the current project our main objective is to use our new knowledge to identify strategies to increase oral resilience of (still clinically healthy) individuals. We will modulate the oral ecosystem of individuals and use molecular, biochemical and machine-learning tools to evaluate the effects of ecosystem variation on oral resilience. While doing so, we will also develop new early diagnostic tools and novel approaches to establish the efficacy of oral care products/strategies.
Our project is fully focused on prevention and mainlining oral health and functioning. The different oral ecotypes (risks for different diseases) imply personalized prevention via support/strategies targeted to the individuals’ ecotype.
Results
The TAcOH2 Digital Mouth project successfully established a dynamic in silico model to study compositional changes in the oral microbiome during experimental gingivitis - a study design where healthy individuals abstain from toothbrushing and any other oral hygiene measures. The dental plaque microbiota exhibited nonlinear changes, including a decrease in Streptococcus and an increase in Prevotella, Leptotrichia, and Porphyromonas species. The abrupt changes resembled ecological tipping points during the experimental gingivitis trial. Notably, a strong correlation was found between tongue microbiota and gingival bleeding, indicating distinct microbial taxa on the tongue related to gingival bleeding and plaque scores.
The project further examined microbiological effects of five potential prebiotics on oral microbiome during normal oral hygiene period. One of the five substances – inulin – showed slight microbiome modulatory potential towards health-associated taxa. Then we examined clinical and microbiological effects of inulin-containing mouth rinse before, during and after the experimental gingivitis. While the inulin intervention showed some effects on microbial taxa during the wash-in period, its impact during the experimental gingivitis period was limited and transient, with no significant influence on gingival health.
