Journal of Oral Microbiology

Current Advances and Emerging Concepts in Oral Virology

The oral cavity is a complex ecological and immunological environment in which viruses interact with host tissues, resident microbial communities, and mucosal immune defenses. Although oral health research has traditionally focused on bacterial pathogens and biofilm-associated dysbiosis, increasing evidence highlights the potential contributions of viruses to oral homeostasis and disease. The oral virome encompasses eukaryotic viruses, including herpesviruses, human papillomaviruses, and emerging viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, as well as bacteriophages that influence bacterial community structure and function. These viruses may affect oral health through direct tissue interactions, persistent infection or reactivation, modulation of host immune responses, and interactions with bacterial communities. Such processes may contribute to periodontal inflammation, oral mucosal disease, salivary gland dysfunction, and other oral pathologies. Advances in metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, single-cell analysis, and spatial profiling now enable increasingly comprehensive investigation of viral communities and their interactions with host tissues. This Article Collection will explore viral contributions to oral health and disease, spanning fundamental mechanisms, clinical associations, emerging technologies, and translational opportunities.

Oral virome remains less extensively characterized than the bacterial microbiome, and the mechanisms connecting viral activity to oral inflammation and tissue damage are incompletely understood. Defining the viral contributions to oral health and disease will fill critical knowledge gaps and advance our understanding of polymicrobial oral diseases. Viral persistence, reactivation, and interactions with bacterial communities may influence immune regulation, microbial homeostasis, and disease progression. However, detecting viral nucleic acids or identifying associations between viral signatures and disease does not establish causality, underscoring the need for longitudinal clinical studies and mechanistic investigations. Defining these relationships could reveal previously unrecognized disease pathways, improve understanding of interindividual differences in susceptibility and treatment response, and identify viral signatures with potential diagnostic or prognostic value. Integrating virology with oral microbiology, mucosal immunology, and multi-omics approaches may also inform the development of new strategies for disease monitoring and intervention. By bringing together clinical, basic, and translational research, this Article Collection will address critical knowledge gaps, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance understanding of how viruses influence oral health, disease susceptibility, and therapeutic outcomes.

This Collection will explore the emerging roles of viruses in shaping oral microbial communities, host–microbe interactions, immune responses, and disease progression. Particular emphasis will be placed on viral contributions to polymicrobial oral diseases, including periodontitis, dental caries, peri-implant diseases, and oral mucosal disorders. Subtopics will include oral virome composition and diversity, bacteriophage–bacteria interactions, human viral infections and reactivation, virus–host immune interactions, viral regulation of microbial dysbiosis, and the application of multi-omics and spatial approaches to define virus-associated disease mechanisms. We also welcome studies addressing viral biomarkers, therapeutic opportunities, and the translational potential of targeting viral–microbial interactions. The Collection will feature Original Research, Reviews, and Methods/Protocols, providing a comprehensive overview of current advances and emerging concepts in oral virology.

Keywords

1. Oral Virome
2. Mucosal Immunity
3. Viral–Host Interactions
4. Oral Diseases
5. Viral Diagnostics

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 August 2027.

Please contact Zhiyuan Zhang at zhiyuan.zhang@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Guest Advisor

Afsar Naqvi is Professor at University of Illinois Chicago, USA. Research in Dr. Naqvi’s lab is focused on dissecting epigenetic regulation of (1) periodontal disease and (2) host-pathogen interaction. Using a combinatorial approach of biochemical, genetic and bioinformatics tools, their lab is interested in understanding immunopathogenesis of periodontal disease and the influence of herpesviruses in disease progression/severity. Their long-term goal is to identify and characterize miRNAs (human or virus-encoded) and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) whose therapeutic potential translates into clinical application for periodontal disease.