Question: Talking to you has really inspired me!! As an aspiring Dental hygienist and therapist, I wanted to know how the world of microbiology impacts Dentistry in all aspects.

Rosie Watts answered on 14 Mar 2025: last edited 14 Mar 2025 16:28

Wow that’s so great to hear! I don’t really have any experience in dental microbiology specifically, but I am now very interested and will go away and do some reading and research. 🙂 Microbiology must have a huge impact on oral as well as overall health, so a really important area to think about. There are often oral symptoms related to many infectious diseases too, so dentistry experts may be able to identify something crucial in a patient. e.g. oral candidiasis (kan-dih-DIE-uh-sis). In persons with weakened immune systems, the fungi can spread to other body parts leading to potentially severe complications.

I’m aware there are a number of Oral Microbiology research groups and it looks like the General Dental Council are keen to highlight this specialty area! They highlight things such as;
– oversight of diagnostic services.
– liaison with clinicians to support patient care.
– advising on the prevention of infection transmission during dentistry including appropriate decontamination.
– the optimal use of antimicrobial agents to reduce drug resistance.
Source here: https://www.gdc-uk.org/education-cpd/dental-education/quality-assurance/specialty-curricula/oral-microbiology

PS – Good luck with your aspirations!