Natural oral defense mechanisms

Natural oral defense mechanisms comprise an integrated set of physical, biochemical, and immunological defenses in the oral cavity, designed to protect against colonization and invasion by microorganisms and toxins. Key elements include the epithelial barrier (keratinized and non-keratinized mucosa), saliva (which provides a vehicle for antimicrobial proteins such as lysozyme, lactoferrin, peroxidases, immunoglobulins, histatins, cystatins, defensins, and others), gingival crevicular fluid, immune cells (such as neutrophils, macrophages, T and B lymphocytes), and components such as antimicrobial peptides. Collectively, these mechanisms maintain a tightly regulated balance between commensal oral microbiota and host tissues, preventing oral and systemic diseases, including infections, inflammation, and certain cancers. Disruption of these mechanisms leads to increased susceptibility to disease[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][10].

Other names

oral innate immunityoral mucosal defenseoral immune barrieroral defense system