What are the boundaries of a healthy mouth?

Maintaining a healthy oral environment is essential for many oral functions, including e.g. chewing, tasting, social interactions and speech (Locker, 2004). Most of our knowledge concerning oral physiology is primarily based on disease parameters (progression/treatment /maintenance) and not as much on parameters of oral health. This research project will embark on a new approach where focus is given to understanding an defining, the healthy status of the oral cavity. The project aims to identify the biological processes in the oral ecosystem responsible for maintaining oral health. An important part of the project, described in this protocol is the evaluation of the biochemical, immunological, metabolic and microbial inter-individual diversity in relation to early indicators for oral disease, including dental plaque and gingival bleeding. Such database will provide suggestions on biological interactions between the host, and the microbiota colonizing the various niches in the oral cavity as well as a possible role in the onset of dental plaque formation as well as inflammatory processes. Detailed insight in these processes have the potential for the development of novel diagnostic tools to evaluate oral health status of an individual by oral care professionals, and relating these insights to procedures for treatment and instructions for self care. The questions is: how can we define a healthy oral cavity in particular on parameters.

The objectives is to clarify what the distribution and interrelation is of relevant clinical microbial, biochemical and immunological parameters of the oral ecosystem in a systemically healthy (non diseased) young adult population. Such biodata provide a framework for the interpretation of deflection in the ecosystem as early indicators for changes in health status.

1. Visit 1: Screening;

2. One day;

3. Visit 2: Early morning;

Visit 3: Afterrnoom.

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