Figure 4. Schematic representation of the putative metabolic lifestyle shifts associated with the change in microbial flora around the tooth and gum tissue upon the transition from a healthy (A) to an advanced periodontal disease (B) state.

The healthy state is dominated by the bacterial genera Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, Actinomyces, and Corynebacterium, whereas the disease state is primarily dominated by pathogenic genera such as Prevotella, Leptotrichia, Treponema, and Fusobacterium.