This presentation, "From Prehistory to Precision," explores the potential of the oral microbiome to revolutionize dental health by developing Oral Microbiome Transplantation (OMT). The speaker first highlights the global prevalence of dental diseases and the outdated antimicrobial approaches currently in use, advocating for a "pro-microbial" perspective that leverages the human body's vast microbial communities.
The research employs a unique interdisciplinary approach, combining ancient DNA from dental calculus (calcified plaque) in Neanderthals, early modern humans, and diverse historical populations with contemporary anthropological studies. Findings reveal a significant shift in the oral microbiome from a healthy, archaea-rich state in Neanderthals and pre-agricultural humans to a disease-associated, Gram-negative-dominated profile in modern industrialized societies, with major transitions linked to the adoption of agriculture and even significant historical events like the Black Death. This historical perspective demonstrates the varied evolutionary trajectories of oral microbiomes across different global populations.
Building on this understanding, the talk details the development of OMT technology. The process involves identifying "ultra-healthy" donors, culturing their dental plaque in specialized in vitro flow cells, and demonstrating its efficacy in preventing dental caries in a rat model. While promising, the speaker emphasizes the critical need to address questions of safety, permanence, accessibility, and equity. The presentation concludes by underscoring that personalized, culturally sensitive approaches, which account for the genetic, cultural, and historical diversity of oral microbiomes worldwide, are essential for OMT to be an equitable and universally effective therapy.
Exploring Oral Microbiome Transplantation (OMT) from Ancient Insights to Modern Solutions
0:00 Widespread Oral Disease & Outdated Treatments: Dental decay is the most prevalent chronic disease in the United States, affecting 90% of people, with periodontal disease also common. Current treatments largely rely on 80-year-old technologies and an antimicrobial mindset, which has proven insufficient.
3:55 Pro-Microbial Approach: The speaker advocates shifting to a "pro-microbial" perspective, recognizing the human body's vast and influential microbiome (trillions of microbes, representing 99% of our genetic makeup) as critical for health.
5:48 Oral Microbiome's Systemic Links: The oral microbiome is directly and indirectly linked to both oral diseases (caries, periodontal disease, cancers) and systemic conditions (metabolic, mental health, gastrointestinal cancers, cardiovascular disease).
6:45 Anthropology & Archaeology as Tools: A unique research approach uses anthropology and archaeology to trace the evolutionary origins of oral diseases and understand microbial shifts over time through ancient DNA extracted from dental calculus.
10:08 Dental Calculus as a Time Capsule: Dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) is a crucial sample type, surviving millions of years in the archaeological record and providing access to past oral microbial communities.
11:15 Ancient Oral Health Insights: Studies of Neanderthals and wild chimpanzees reveal excellent oral health, with microbiomes rich in Gram-positive bacteria and archaea, unlike modern humans who show a bias towards disease-causing Gram-negative organisms.
13:08 Impact of Agriculture and Historical Events: The adoption of agriculture by Europeans ~7,500 years ago led to a significant shift towards disease-associated oral microbiomes. The speaker also links a major shift in the British oral microbiome to the Second Plague Pandemic (Black Death), suggesting social, cultural, and dietary changes played a role.
18:26 Complex Health Associations: While the Methanobrevibacter-dominated community of the past is no longer common, it was also associated with systemic inflammation, indicating that ancient microbes are not inherently "healthy" in a modern context.
19:22 Global Diversity of Oral Microbiomes: Studies in the Americas show unique microbial communities, emphasizing that the evolutionary history and disease associations of oral microbiomes differ significantly across global populations.
21:49 Developing Oral Microbiome Transplantation (OMT): The team at the University of Adelaide is pioneering OMT, aiming to transplant healthy microbial communities.
22:17 OMT Concept and Donor Selection: The process involves identifying "ultra-healthy" human donors, collecting their dental plaque, and growing it in in vitro flow cells on enamel-like discs to produce healthy biofilms for transplantation.
26:10 Promising Rat Model Results: Preliminary studies in rats show that OMT is significantly effective at preventing dental caries, regardless of exposure to Streptococcus mutans.
27:55 Key Questions for OMT: Critical questions remain regarding OMT safety, its potential for permanent microbiome alteration (especially in children), and ensuring its accessibility, affordability, equity, and effectiveness across all people.
29:02 "Industrialized" Microbiomes and Global Differences: Global comparisons reveal that an "industrial" lifestyle is the biggest factor driving oral microbiome variation. Non-industrialized populations exhibit different microbial communities, which may associate with disease in unique ways.
30:23 Indigenous Australian Discoveries: Research on Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders found higher microbial diversity and 127 previously undescribed species, some of which (Endomicrobium) may reflect ancient dietary heritage (e.g., termite consumption).
33:11 Personalized & Equitable Approaches: To make OMT equitable and effective globally, future therapies must consider genetic, cultural, and historical diversity, necessitating personalized approaches that leverage an individual's heritage and identity.
33:41 Conclusion: New Era for Oral Health: Leveraging microbial ecology offers new pathways for oral health therapies. Archaeology and anthropology are crucial for guiding OMT development ethically and equitably, ensuring its commercialization and distribution effectively address chronic oral diseases worldwide.