The interplay between oral microbiota, gut microbiota and systematic diseases.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanism-based reasoning and observational studies without systematic methodology
PubMed 37200866 · doi:10.1080/20002297.2023.2213112
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes literature on the anatomical and biological connections between oral and gut microbiotas. It details potential pathways through which oral microbes influence gut microbial composition and examines the contribution of this bidirectional axis to systemic conditions, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings or quantitative effect sizes. It notes that the current literature consists primarily of observational association studies, alongside emerging mechanistic investigations into systemic disease pathogenesis.
Why it matters
Understanding the oral-gut microbiome axis highlights how oral dysbiosis may drive or modulate systemic metabolic, inflammatory, and oncological diseases.
Limits
As a narrative review, it presents no original human trial data and lacks systematic search protocols. The underlying evidence base cited is predominantly observational and associative, which limits causal inference, and no quantitative metrics are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports The oral microbiome is second only to the gut microbiome in both diversity and size within the human body.