Oral health issues such as periodontics and halitosis are clearly connected to the composition of the oral microbiome. An imbalance in the oral microbial flora even seems to be related to systemic diseases.
The oral microbiome is a complex community of > 700 different species, and considered to be the most complex microbiome in the human body after the gut. To date, only half of these species have been identified and named, whereas the other half have either been cultured but not named or are unculturable phylotypes. However, developments are going fast and the use of newly developed methods as the ones that are used within BaseClear has greatly expanded the knowledge on the composition and function of the oral microbiome.