TAcOH2

Oral health is generally being described as a state of being free from (chronic) oral diseases. 

The TAcOH2 Digital Mouth project successfully established a dynamic in silico model to study compositional changes in the oral microbiome during experimental gingivitis - a study design where healthy individuals abstain from toothbrushing and any other oral hygiene measures. The dental plaque microbiota exhibited nonlinear changes, including a decrease in Streptococcus and an increase in Prevotella, Leptotrichia, and Porphyromonas species. The abrupt changes resembled ecological tipping points during the experimental gingivitis trial. Notably, a strong correlation was found between tongue microbiota and gingival bleeding, indicating distinct microbial taxa on the tongue related to gingival bleeding and plaque scores.

The project further examined microbiological effects of five potential prebiotics on oral microbiome during normal oral hygiene period. One of the five substances – inulin – showed slight microbiome modulatory potential towards health-associated taxa. Then we examined clinical and microbiological effects of inulin-containing mouth rinse before, during and after the experimental gingivitis. While the inulin intervention showed some effects on microbial taxa during the wash-in period, its impact during the experimental gingivitis period was limited and transient, with no significant influence on gingival health.