Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2026; 16(11): 123050
Published online Nov 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.123050
Published online Nov 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.123050
Oral microbiome dysbiosis, neuroinflammation, and psychiatric disorders: A review of current progress
Xue Wang, Jia-Bai Liu, Xue-Mei Zhao, Jing-Hong Yin, Jia-Yin Zhang, Department of Stomatology, Jilin Province FAW General Hospital, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
Jie Zhang, Department of General Surgery, Jilin Province FAW General Hospital, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
Author contributions: Wang X and Zhang JY conceived and designed the review framework; Wang X drafted the initial manuscript and prepared the tables and figures; Liu JB contributed to the mechanistic discussion of neuroinflammatory pathways and revised the sections on oral-gut-brain axis; Zhao XM and Zhang J conducted the literature search, data extraction, and evidence classification; Yin JH reviewed and edited the manuscript for clinical accuracy. All authors read and approved the final version.
AI contribution statement: AI was merely used for manuscript polishing and formatting. No AI was involved in data generation, result analysis or conclusion writing. All AI-assisted text has been independently examined and revised by the authors.
Supported by Jilin Province Science and Technology Development Program Project, No. YDZJ202401090ZYTS.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Jia-Yin Zhang, Consultant, Department of Stomatology, Jilin Province FAW General Hospital, No. 2643 Dongfeng Street, Lvyuan District, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China. zhangjiayin315@163.com
Received: June 10, 2026
Revised: July 10, 2026
Accepted: July 30, 2026
Published online: November 19, 2026
Processing time: 140 Days and 19.2 Hours
Revised: July 10, 2026
Accepted: July 30, 2026
Published online: November 19, 2026
Processing time: 140 Days and 19.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Oral microbiome dysbiosis can drive neuroinflammation and contribute to psychiatric disorders via three key pathways: Direct bloodstream invasion, neural retrograde transport along trigeminal and olfactory nerves, and disruption of the oral-gut-brain axis. Recent animal evidence showing that Lactobacillus supplementation alleviates anxiety- and depression-like behaviors reinforces the translational potential of targeting the oral microbiota. This minireview integrates these mechanisms and highlights the oral cavity as an accessible, modifiable target for novel diagnostic and adjunctive therapeutic strategies in psychiatry.