Spatial scale in analysis of the dental plaque microbiome

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Ecology
• Oral Health

Background:

• Spatial scale is crucial for understanding organism community structure and function.
• Dental plaque is a complex microbial community with structure-function relationships that vary with scale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review historical and contemporary studies of dental plaque community structure across micro, meso, and macro scales.
• To analyze dental plaque composition, microbial interactions, and biofilm properties at different spatial scales.
• To highlight health and disease-associated structure-function relationships and host immune involvement in periodontal disease.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on dental plaque structure and function.
• Analysis of studies focusing on micro (1-10 µm), meso (10-100 µm), and macro (≥100 µm) scales.
• Discussion of specific microbial contributions, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and Corynebacterium matruchotii.

Main Results:

• Dental plaque exhibits distinct compositional, interactive, and emergent properties at micro, meso, and macro scales.
• Structure-function relationships in dental plaque are scale-dependent and linked to health and disease states.
• Host immune responses play a role in the mesoscale structure of periodontal disease biofilms.

Conclusions:

• Understanding dental plaque across spatial scales is essential for comprehending its role in oral health and disease.
• Specific microbial players like Fusobacterium nucleatum and Corynebacterium matruchotii significantly influence plaque biofilm structure.
• Further research integrating multi-scale analysis can elucidate complex oral microbiome dynamics.