Learning Objectives: 

• Review the cellular components of a gram-negative bacterium
• Classify several of the most common oral pathogens
• Follow an Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans case study
• Deep dive into polymicrobial relationships in the biofilm
• Investigate the way pathogens evade and invade the host
• Discover new virulence factors and bacterial groupings linked to systemic disease

Have you ever felt lost when it comes to the pathogens on a salivary test? Do you need easy ways to describe them to patients on a level they’ll understand, or do you yourself need a review of oral microbiology? Step through the looking glass in this Alice in Wonderland-inspired storytelling of some of the top pathogens we identify during testing. 

In this course, we’ll go down the rabbit hole detailing the ABCs of how each pathogen survives: what they eat, how they breathe, and how they fight with virulence. We’ll also uncover the secrets of their polymicrobial relationships in the biofilm. For example, why are Tannerella forsythia and Fusobacterium nucleatum “biofilm besties,” and how can Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans be an early colonizer and yet, a late colonizer at the same time? Find your muchness and the confidence to talk micro with anyone at the table.