Dental plaque

We are pleased to introduce a new series, "Innovations of Excellence, powered by ADA Forsyth," which provides a forum for brief introductions to new technologies, therapeutic approaches, and health care trends of interest to oral health clinicians and researchers-a "window" into the latest scientific discoveries.Inspired by the ADA's integration with The Forsyth Institute, now ADA Forsyth, JADA and JADA Foundational Science have partnered with ADA's new research arm to develop this series.These short articles are intended to raise awareness of emerging issues and cutting-edge research directions to keep the busy clinician apprised of exciting science trends expected to affect health care delivery and the practice of dentistry.Rather than describing the specifics of early or preliminary studies, however, these articles will present a more general view, highlighting specific innovations in dentistry.While ADA Forsyth will contribute significantly to the series, it is open to contributions from all potential authors and organizations with an oral health innovation to share.These reports will be published in both ADA journals, JADA, and JADA FS.We hope you enjoy the topics and format of this new series, and welcome thoughts and ideas you may have on topics you think would be useful to include in future issues. Practical Implications Dental plaque is made up of many kinds of microbes that play different roles in the microbial community. Some plaque bacteria may promote health, whereas some can cause disease. How microbes are organized and spatially structured can determine whether they live harmlessly in our mouths or cause disease. Research on the structure and organization of plaque may, in the future, let us shift the composition of plaque in precise and targeted ways to restore and maintain health.