Oral mucosal microbiota

The **oral mucosal microbiota** is the diverse and site-specific population of microorganisms (including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa) inhabiting the mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity. It forms the second largest human microbial community after the gut, comprising over 700 species primarily from genera such as Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, Neisseria, and Actinomyces. This community serves key functions in maintaining mucosal immunity, protecting against pathogenic invasion, contributing to tissue homeostasis, and modulating local and systemic inflammation. Alterations or dysbiosis of this microbiota are closely linked to the onset and progression of various oral mucosal diseases (e.g., oral lichen planus, recurrent aphthous ulcers, squamous cell carcinoma), as well as to systemic diseases. Therapeutic efforts with probiotics aim to restore microbial balance and reinforce the mucosal barrier and immune functions. Though critically important in oral health and disease, the oral mucosal microbiota is not a discrete biochemical target, but rather a collective ecological entity.

Other names

Oral mucosal floraoral mucosa microbiomeoral mucosal microfloraoral mucosa microbial community

For probiotics—immune modulation, competitive exclusion of pathogenic microbes, restoration of microbial balance, modulation of mucosal immunity, barrier function repair