Biofilms are highly organized polymicrobial communities that are embedded in an extracellular matrix and formed on natural and artificial surfaces. In the oral cavity, biofilms are formed not only on natural teeth, but also on restorative materials, prosthetic constructions, and dental implants. Oral diseases like caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, and also pulp inflammation are associated with biofilms. This publication is an up-to-date overview on oral biofilms from different clinically relevant perspectives. Experts comprising basic researchers and clinicians report on recent research relating to biofilms - from general summaries to recommendations for daily clinical work. This book covers all aspects of oral biofilms, including models used in the laboratory, biofilms in dental water unit lines, periodontal and peri-implant biofilms, caries-related biofilms, halitosis, endodontic biofilms, and Candida infections, as well as biofilms on dental materials and on orthodontic appliances. Several chapters deal with anti-biofilm therapy, from the efficacy of mechanical methods and the use of antimicrobials, to alternative concepts. This publication is particularly recommended to dental medicine students, practitioners, other oral healthcare professionals, and scientists with an interest in translational research on biofilms.

This book is the second edition of Atlas of Oral Microbiology: From Healthy Microflora to Disease (ISBN 978-0-12-802234-4), with two new features: we add about 60 pictures of 14 newly isolated microbes from human dental plaque, at the same time, we re-organize the content of this book and provide more research progress about the oral microbiome bank of China, the invasion of oral microbiota into the gut, and the relationships between Oral Microflora and Human Diseases. This book is keeping up with the advanced edge of the international research field of oral microbiology. It innovatively gives us a complete description of the oral microbial systems according to different oral ecosystems. It collects a large number of oral microbial pictures, including cultural pictures, colonies photos, and electron microscopy photos. It is by far the most abundant oral microbiology atlas consists of the largest number of pictures. In the meantime, it also described in detail a variety of experimental techniques, including microbiological isolation, culture, and identification. It is an atlas with strong practical function. The editors and writers of this book have long been engaged in teaching and research work in oral microbiology and oral microecology. This book deserves a broad audience, and it will meet the needs of researchers, clinicians, teachers, and students major in biology, dental medicine, basic medicine, or clinical medicine. It can also be used to facilitate teaching and international academic exchanges.

Although we can't usually see them, microbes are essential for every part of human life-indeed all life on Earth. The emerging field of metagenomics offers a new way of exploring the microbial world that will transform modern microbiology and lead to practical applications in medicine, agriculture, alternative energy, environmental remediation, and many others areas. Metagenomics allows researchers to look at the genomes of all of the microbes in an environment at once, providing a "meta" view of the whole microbial community and the complex interactions within it. It's a quantum leap beyond traditional research techniques that rely on studying-one at a time-the few microbes that can be grown in the laboratory. At the request of the National Science Foundation, five Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, the National Research Council organized a committee to address the current state of metagenomics and identify obstacles current researchers are facing in order to determine how to best support the field and encourage its success. The New Science of Metagenomics recommends the establishment of a "Global Metagenomics Initiative" comprising a small number of large-scale metagenomics projects as well as many medium- and small-scale projects to advance the technology and develop the standard practices needed to advance the field. The report also addresses database needs, methodological challenges, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in supporting this new field.