What’s in Your Mouth? Images of the Oral Microbiome Will Blow You Away

Images from a recent study are like the Hubble images of the microbiome. Detailed fluorescent images look more like undersea or outer space than intraoral. However, with new technology, scientists from Forsyth Institute have given us insight into the interaction between bacteria in the oral biofilm like we have never seen. Primary researcher Dr. Gary Borisy told Science Daily about the research:

“DNA sequencing does a great job of telling us what bacteria exist in the mouth, However, it leaves a big gap in our understanding of the microbiome. Without knowing what bacteria are next to each other — who is next to who and who is next to what — how can we possibly understand how they interact? It’s like having an index of place names without a map. Our research provides the map, which will allow us to answer important questions about the relationship between the bacteria and the body — and ultimately help us to understand the effect on our overall health.”

Enjoy.