Ever since we were kids, we were always reminded by the people around us to brush our teeth, visit the dentist regularly, and floss (no, not the dance popularized by the backpack kid). We do these things to keep our mouth healthy, and oral health is said to be linked to the health of the whole body. Unfortunately, there are some of us who don’t floss and don’t visit the dentist regularly. Perhaps this study might change their mind.
Colorado State University microbiome researchers offer fresh evidence to support that conventional wisdom, by taking a close look at invisible communities of microbes that live in every mouth.
The oral microbiome - the sum total of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, that occupy the human mouth -- was the subject of a crowd-sourced, citizen science-driven study by Jessica Metcalf's research lab at CSU and Nicole Garneau's research team at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Published in Scientific Reports, the study found, among other things, a correlation between people who did not visit the dentist regularly and increased presence of a pathogen that causes periodontal disease.
More details about this over at Science Daily.
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