Biofilm and Dental Caries

Dental caries is a typical polymicrobial infectious disease affecting tooth hard tissue. The theory of caries etiology has been developing from the early stage “chemicoparasitic theory” to the currently well-recognized “ecological plaque hypothesis,” which proposes the oral biofilm as a dynamic interactive component of the human body. The disturbance of host-microbe homeostasis is considered as the central factor initiating dental caries. The development of high-throughput metagenomic sequencing has advanced our understanding of the structure and function of oral microbiome, and novel approaches focused on restoring oral microbial equilibrium will eventually lead to better management of the dental caries.