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The oral microbiome has a direct correlation to heart health, and the rest of the body. Gum and tooth health starts with a healthy microbiome consisting primarily of beneficial bacteria. If a person's oral microbiome is not healthy, supplementation with probiotics may be helpful toprevent future oral problems. Our project goal is to determine whether commercial oral probiotic supplements affect the composition of the oral microbiome. To start, we first selected the BLIS M18 oral probiotic lozenge containing the M18 strain of Streptococcus salivarius (M18), which produces an antibiotic called bacteriocin. To determine whether we could grow the M18 probiotic from the lozenge in our laboratory, we optimized growth conditions using common bacterial growth mediums and isolated colonies to characterize based on Gram status, and growth on selective/differential media. After completing our preliminary studies, we also obtained IRB approval to conduct a study with Catawba College students given the BLIS M18 lozenge for two weeks. A control group was given a placebo lozenge (no probiotic) for comparison. We collected buccal swabs from each study participant at the start of the study and again after two weeks of oral probiotic/placebo use. We will use Next-Generation Sequencing to determine changes in the microbiome between the groups given the placebo or M18 probiotic. We hope to find that M18 supports the healthy growth of beneficial oral bacteria, which may prevent or suppress the growth of harmful, disease-causing bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]