No abstract

The term "microbiome" is coined by Joshua Lederberg, a Nobel Prize laureate, to describe the ecological community of symbiotic, commensal and pathogenic microorganisms. Oral microbiome was first identified by the Dutchman Antony van Leeuwenhoek who first identified oral microbiome using a microscope constructed by him. The community of microbial residents in our body is called the microbiome. 1 Oral cavity is inhabited by a diverse microflora that may include bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, protozoa and possibly viral flora of which bacteria are the predominant group. 2 Heterogeneous nature of the oral tissues and structures provide a diverse and unique ecological habitat to the oral Microorganisms. Microorganisms that are distributed in various niches such as dorsum of the tongue, mucosal surfaces, teeth and saliva. Bacterial flora plays an active role in the maintenance of the oral health. 3 S.mitis are detected in most or all oral sites, whereas several species were quite site specific. For example, Actinomyces spp., S. sanguinis, S. gordonii, and Abiotrophia defectiva appeared to preferentially colonize the teeth. S. salivarius was found mostly on the tongue dorsum. S. intermedius preferentially colonized the subgingival plaque in most of the subjects but was not detected in most other sites. 4