Microbial Odyssey: Unravelling Transitions in the Oral Microbiome from Birth to Old Age for Enhanced Periodontal Care

Abstract

Understanding how the oral microbiota changes is crucial for periodontal practice because it plays a significant impact in determining oral health from infancy to old life. This extensive analysis covers prenatal impacts, childhood and adolescence, maturity, and aging. It also investigates the dynamic changes in the oral microbiome throughout life stages. Important discoveries show unique microbial changes at each stage, influenced by dietary habits, dental hygiene routines, systemic health, and way of life decisions. The review also explores how these transitions affect periodontal health and the likelihood of developing periodontal disorders. The oral microbial landscape is highly influenced by prenatal factors, food, dental hygiene habits, and periodontal health, while aging is also associated with changes in microbial diversity and abundance. Innovative microbiome restoration techniques, probiotics, and prebiotics are emerging as promising therapeutic interventions for supporting oral health, with individualized therapy planning based on microbiome analyses. Periodontists can customize therapeutic and preventive strategies by incorporating microbiome knowledge into their periodontal practice, improving patient outcomes and fostering lifetime dental health and wellbeing. To fully realize the potential of oral microbiome research and its revolutionary implications for periodontal care, the review ends by noting future perspectives and obstacles and emphasizing the need for longitudinal investigations, cutting-edge technologies, and interdisciplinary collaborations.