London: Did you know that there are as many 6d00 different microbes who live in your mouth?

And to know them by name, all you need to turn to is the recently released Human Oral Micro-biome Database (HOMD), which also provides descriptions of each of the microbes (bacteria).

It may not exactly be a riveting read, but researchers working on the subject will find it a useful tool, say the authors, scientists at King's College, London.

These bacteria are thought to be important for maintaining the health of teeth and gums, as well as for general human health. A smaller number are potentially disease causing.

The HOMD links several types of information on these microbes to a consistent naming system.

Within the database, descriptions of the microbes, their metabolism and their ability to cause disease will be linked to information on their DNA and proteins, as well as to the scientific literature.

The database also allows scientists to examine the genomes of the micro-organisms that have had their DNA sequenced. The database can be utilised immediately, and will continue to expand over the next three years. IANS