SALIVA BACTERIUM INTERACTIONS IN ORAL MICROBIAL ECOLOGY

Saliva is thought to have a significant impact on the colonization of microorganisms in the oral cavity. Salivary components may participate in this process by one of four general mechanisms: binding to microor ganisms to facilitate their clearance from the oral cavity, serving as receptors in oral pellicles for microbial adhesion to host surfaces, inhibiting microbial growth or mediating microbial killing, and servin g as microbial nutritional substrates. This article reviews informatio n pertinent to the molecular interaction of salivary components with b acteria (primarily the oral streptococci and Actinomyces) and explores the implications of these interactions for oral bacterial colonizatio n and dental plaque formation. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms c ontrolling bacterial colonization of the oral cavity may suggest metho ds to prevent not only dental plaque formation but also serious medica l infections that may follow microbial colonization of the oral cavity .