In the last 5 years or so, research has shown tight associations between specific pathogens in the mouth and inflammation throughout the body.<p>Fusobacterium nucleatum and colorectal tumors, Porphyromonas gingivalis and tangles in the brain, Prevotella intermedia and rheumatoid arthritis, the list goes on.<p>It might be no surprise that you are what you eat, and you eat 100 billion bacteria every day via swallowing your saliva. The gut microbiome gets a lot of traction on HN for its associations with... well anything, but the oral microbiome is relatively ignored.<p>At Bristle, I'm hoping we can shed some light on the importance of the oral microbiome, and people will eventually stop collecting their poop, and just collect their spit.