Oral health plays an important role in shaping our gut microbiome. After all, the mouth is effectively the gateway microbes use to access our gut.

Unfortunately, people really aren’t aware of how the health of their mouth regulates the gut microbiome. Poor oral hygiene leads to biofilm factories that continually expose our mouth and entire gut to pathogenic bacteria.

We’ve covered this previously, specifically in reference to how better oral hygiene dramatically cuts back on Candida albicans in our stool.

In today’s video we expand on this notion and discuss how oral health plays an important role in seeding the gut microbiome.

Oral health and microbial transfer throughout the gut

We once believed that the stomach mostly took care of bacteria coming from the mouth. Recent evidence shows that this is not the case. In fact, it seems as though there is extensive transfer of bacteria from the mouth throughout the rest of the gut.

This is really important for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and gut health in general. The mouth houses the second largest microbiome next to the colon.

Throughout the day, 1.5 trillion bacteria enter the digestive tract through the gut. As a result, what goes on in the mouth sets the stage for the rest of the gut. And our oral hygiene habits are pivotal in regulating what makes the cut.

This has relevance to preventing or correcting gastrointestinal problems such as functional dyspepsia, inflammatory bowel disease, IBS, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Pathogens can make it from the mouth throughout the gut to cause problems.

But the opposite is also true. Healthy microbes transfer from the mouth to other sites in the gut and can help set up healthy communities. Therefore, taking care of oral health helps develop a healthy stable community and crowds out pathogens.

In today’s video we discuss the evidence as well as how we can help promote better oral health. We also cover some cool evidence showing that a specific amino acid can help set the stage for excellent oral health.

Enjoy!