The Oral Microbiome

Like all mammals we are introduced to our first dose of microbes via two ways.  1. Coming through the birth canal and 2. Suckling for milk and having skin to mouth contact with our mother.  Not only are we exposed to bacteria through ingesting colostrum and breast milk, but also from skin contact.  Amazingly, the mothers gut bacteria travel through the entero-mammary pathway. Starting from the gut beneficial bacteria enter the mesenteric lymph node and then travel through the mammary gland epithelium to reach the baby.  This period of our lives and the inoculation of bacteria we get from out mother is a key moment in the establishment of our oral and gastrointestinal microbiome. 

There has been a lot of news about the importance of a healthy balance of the good and bad bacteria in our gastrointestinal system.  I wrote a newsletter about the strains of bacteria about 18 months ago. https://naturalhealthchiropractic.com/who_knew/view/1246/straining_to_understand_probiotics

However, new information is revealing that there are bacterial strains specific to the mouth that are important in preventing illness’ such as bleeding gums and periodontal disease beyond what you might get in a typical probiotic. 

Bleeding gums and periodontal disease in women and men