Oral cavity microbes

Microbes or micro-organisms are very tiny living things whose size measures in microns (1/1000th of mm) or even smaller in nm (nanometer).

- Dr. Sunil S Chiplunkar

For example, rod shaped Escherichia coli bacteria is about 2 to 4 microns in length and 0.5 to 1 microns in width. The round shaped Staphylococcus aureus is 0.5 to 1 micron in diameter. Virus are even tinier; the influenza flu virus is 80 to 120 nm in diameter while the Herpes simplex virus is 150 to 200 nm.

Microbes are present everywhere: skin, mouth, nose, intestines, urinary tract, throat and lungs - and even in the acidic environment of stomach, bacteria called Helicobacter pylori have the capacity to survive. The human body has a complex relationship with microbes - and researchers remark that microbes associated with the human body, are a type of invisible organ of the body. Of all the microbes associated with the human body, as per scientists, up to 2% may be called harmful, 90% are neutral and 5% to 10% are useful or beneficial.

• Oral microbiome