The oral microbiome has been recently classified as a “gateway” microbiome, giving it immense importance in total body health. The placental microbiome is another gateway microbiome- it sets the immune system of the developing child- and is extremely important since it's closely related in microbial content to the oral microbiome! But what creates a dysbiotic oral microbiome? My guest today is Mark L. Cannon. He is a Professor of Otolaryngology- Division of Dentistry at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, an Attending Physician at Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital, and a member of the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry. In addition to being the founder of Associated Dental Specialists of Long Grove (1981); he is the Research Coordinator of the Pediatric Dental residency program at Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Cannon has 40 years of experience in pediatric dentistry and has presented lectures both nationally and internationally. He lectures on many oral health topics including evolutionary oral medicine, the gateway microbiomes, biologic and bioactive dental materials (patents owner), probiotics, and all aspects of everyday Pediatric oral health. Dr. Cannon has humbly accepted two invitations by the Karolinska Institutet, first to the Nobel Forum (2016) and secondly to the Nobel Assembly (2017). Most of all, Dr. Cannon is the proud father of five, all of whom are very accomplished. He is also a very proud grandfather! Do you have issues with both the skin and your dental health? Have you considered tackling the mouth issues first? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: What is a "gateway microbiome"? Why missing THESE bacteria from your mouth microbiome is problematic List of diseases + health issues associated with a messed up oral microbiome What bacteria like P. gingivalis can INSIDE of your cells Is xylitol helpful for oral microbiome health? Strep salivarius VS. Strep mutans Quotes "Half the population has their gut controlled by the mouth. If you have leaky gut, you have leaky gums, leaky blood-brain barrier... And before you know it, problems with the skin, which is what we've seen in so many studies. You'll find a lot of studies showing that with every skin disorder, there's an associated gut microbiome problem" [06:07] "It was a very, very powerful multi-center study... And they significantly reduced preterm birth by having the moms chewing xylitol gum. I mean, the savings and healthcare dollars are huge, but again, you're working on a gateway microbiome and you're inhibiting a keystone pathogen." [16:04] Links Find Dr. Cannon online along with his bio here The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health Want to try some amazing toothpaste + mints with xylitol? Try RiseWell! Healthy Skin Show ep. 260: Oral Microbiome-Skin Rash Connection w/ Dr. Mark Burhenne Healthy Skin Show ep. 020: How Your Mouth Microbiome Can Mess Up Your Skin w/ Trina Felber