Blog Highlights

• A new study has shown that there may be more similarities than originally thought
• The foundation has been set for further studies, which will examine diet and cultural factors
• We still have much to learn about it, we do know that it is important to maintain a healthy mouth

In the past, it was assumed that the saliva microbiome (the world of bacteria living in your mouth) was vastly different depending on the geographical location of the subject. Diet and other cultural factors were thought to play a role in the bacterial make up of saliva. However, a new study has shown that there may be more similarities than originally thought.

A study from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, and China Pharmaceutical University compared the samples of saliva from 120 subjects from 12 different locations worldwide to determine what types of bacteria could be found and if there were any difference or similarities.

Researchers expected to find significant differences in the bacterial saliva microbiomes of their subjects. However, he study concluded that in fact the saliva microbiome does not vary that much from one location to another throughout the world.

The study is groundbreaking because it has changed the way doctors and scientists think about saliva. The foundation has been set for further studies, which will examine diet and cultural factors and their correlation to saliva and what this can tell us about populations, human migration, and oral health.

This information regarding the saliva microbiome may also lead to the development of new saliva-based diagnostic testing, which could replace the common practice of blood sample procedures. The use of saliva would be less invasive and more efficient. Additionally, researchers believe learning more about the saliva microbiome could lead to more reliable tests for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease among other things.

Saliva is an important part of the body. Though we still have much to learn about it, we do know that it is important to maintain a healthy mouth and good oral hygiene.