7: The Terrain

April 22, 2026

·S. Thaddeus Connelly, DDS, MD, PhD, FACS

Whether or not Louis Pasteur truly said this in his final moments, the principle aligns more closely with the vision of Claude Bernard than with modern clinical practice. For over a century, oral biology has focused on microorganisms classifying them, sequencing them, and attempting to eliminate them. From Sigmund Socransky's microbial complexes to contemporary microbiome mapping, the dominant paradigm has been clear: identify the pathogen and remove it. Yet this approach has not produced lasting health.

This is a summary of the full edition

The complete article — figures, references, and clinical commentary — is published in The Oral Health Bulletin on LinkedIn.

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