Shaping the oral mycobiota: interactions of opportunistic fungi with oral bacteria and the host

•The membership of the core oral mycobiota in health has been defined.•Global community shifts in disease have not been identified yet.•Host influences composition and pathogenic activity of the oral mycobiota.•Commensal bacteria may contribute to a fungal dysbiosis.

The oral mycobiota is an important component of the oral microbiota that has only recently received increased attention. The diversity and complexity of the oral mycobiota in healthy humans is greater than any other body site. Dysbiotic imbalance of indigenous fungal communities in immunosuppressed hosts has been proposed to lead to oropharyngeal fungal infections. As in other body sites, to survive and thrive in the oral cavity fungi have to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with the resident bacterial microbiota and the host. Here we review our current understanding of the composition of the oral mycobiota and how it may be influenced by oral commensal bacteria and the host environment.

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