Melbourne Dental School - Research Publications

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Taxonomy of Oral Bacteria

Byrne, SJ ; Butler, CA ; Reynolds, EC ; Dashper, SG ; Gurtler, V ; Trevors, JT (ELSEVIER ACADEMIC PRESS INC, 2018-01-01)

The oral cavity is a collection of diverse microenvironments, each inhabited by a community of microorganisms, the majority of which are bacteria and their phages. Given the appropriate conditions, some of these bacteria can cause destruction of the teeth or their supporting hard and soft tissues. For over 300 years microbiologists have been characterising these microbial communities, in both oral health and disease. In this chapter, we take the reader on a journey through time as we discuss the various methods that have been utilised in the characterisation of the bacteria calling the oral cavity home, and how the use of these methods has informed our understanding of oral bacterial communities and the diversity of their members.