Microbiomics: Were we all wrong before?

Periodontal microbiology has historically been based on an us against them paradigm, one that focuses mainly on identifying microbes and viruses that cause disease. However, such a bottom-up approach limits our appreciation of the incredible diversity of this ecosystem and the essential ways in which microbial interactions contribute to health and homeostasis of the subgingival niche. Microbiomics-the science of collectively characterizing and quantifying molecules responsible for the structure, function, and dynamics of a microbial community-has enabled us to study these communities in their natural habitat, thereby revolutionizing our knowledge of host-associated microbes and reconceptualizing our definition of human. When this systems-biology approach is combined with ecologic principles, it explicates the complex relationship that exist between microbiota and between them and us, the human. In this volume of Periodontology 2000, a group of 12 female scientists take the lead in investigating how metagenomics, genomics, metatranscriptomics, proteomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics have achieved the following: (a) widened our view of the periodontal microbiome; (b) expanded our understanding of the evolution of the human oral microbiome; (c) shone a light on not just bacteria, but also other prokaryotic and eukaryotic members of the community; (d) elucidated the effects of anthropogenic behavior and systemic diseases on shaping these communities; and (e) influenced traditional patterns of periodontal therapeutics.

Automated summary

Historically, periodontal microbiology focused on identifying disease-causing microbes, but through microbiomics, a deeper understanding of the diverse microbial communities and their interactions contributing to health has been revealed. By combining systems biology with ecologic principles, it becomes clear how intricate and complex the relationships between microbiota and humans are. The research in this volume of Periodontology 2000 by female scientists has widened our view on periodontal microbiome and influenced traditional patterns of periodontal therapeutics.