ABSTRACT
Biofilms are matrix-enclosed microbial communities that form at interfaces of phases, such as liquid, solid and air and are the preferred mode of life in most natural conditions. The use of metabolomics until now has been more predominant in mammalian, plant and planktonic microbial systems, whereas the global perspective of microbial biofilms has been limited because of complications in sample preparation. In oral biofilm studies, the usual factors analysed are microbiome composition, microenvironments and functions of microbial groups. Genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics are some of the common omics approaches adopted for the analysis of microbial biofilms. metabolites can be classified as either primary or secondary metabolites. Molecules that are produced actively during growth phase and are essential for growth and development are known as primary or central metabolites. Molecules that are not vital for growth and development but having specialised functions in the overall survivability and adaptability of the organism are known as secondary metabolites.
