The difference, in plain terms
Everyone hands you data. We hand you the reasoning - and show our work.
Most oral tests report bacteria levels and leave the interpretation to you. OraPath shows exactly how every score is built - the bacteria, the weights, the penalties, and the published research behind each decision. You can check our work. Most never show theirs.
"Here's what we found."
"Here's what it means - and why."
A score, fully shown
Watch one result get built, step by step.
Here's a real Oral Balance Score, worked out in the open. Nothing is hidden - this is the same calculation that runs in the lab, with the research behind each step.
Start with what the bacteria can do, not just who's there
The protective side of the score rewards bacteria that actively support health. The circulation-and-healing system is weighted by the bacteria that do the work - and we look for the narG gene directly, so a result means the function is genuinely present.
// circulation-and-healing (narG-targeted) NO = 1.3*Rothia + 1.3*Neisseria + 1.0*Actinomyces + 0.9*Veillonella COMM = 1.0*S.salivarius + 0.9*S.sanguinis + 0.8*S.mitis Protective Capacity = 0.70*NO + 0.30*COMM
Weigh the harmful load by how much damage each does - not headcount
Bacteria aren't equal. P. gingivalis and T. denticola carry more weight than a bridging bacterium like F. nucleatum, because the evidence says they do more harm.
PERIO = 1.5*Aa + 1.3*Pg + 1.3*Td + 1.0*Tf + 1.3*Fa + 0.8*Fn-a Disruptive Pressure = clamp(100 * D_load / 90, 0, 100) // lower is better
Add penalties for risky combinations the raw levels miss
Some combinations are more dangerous together than apart. These penalties capture known biology - each one is a documented interaction, not a fudge factor.
// circulation-and-healing (narG-targeted) NO = 1.3*Rothia + 1.3*Neisseria + 1.0*Actinomyces + 0.9*Veillonella COMM = 1.0*S.salivarius + 0.9*S.sanguinis + 0.8*S.mitis Protective Capacity = 0.70*NO + 0.30*COMM
Resolve to one number a patient can understand
The base score puts an average-protective, zero-burden patient near 50; penalties pull it down. Higher is always better - by design, so the conversation with the patient stays simple.
OBS = clamp( (Protective - Disruptive + 50) - penalties, 0, 100 )
Mild Shift. Strong protective bacteria, low harmful load - but an -8 elevated-Aa penalty flags a localized risk worth watching. The number, the reason, and the next step, all traceable.
A technical edge, in plain terms
We measure what the bacteria can do - not just who's there.
For the circulation-and-healing side of the score, most tests just confirm a bacterium is present: "Rothia is here." But not every strain actually performs the job that matters - turning dietary nitrate into the building blocks for healthy circulation.
OraPath looks for the narG gene - the gene that does the work. Finding it means the helpful function is genuinely active in that patient's mouth.
It's the difference between knowing a tool is in the room and knowing it actually works.
The species - "Rothia present." Tells you it's there. Doesn't tell you it's working.
The narG gene - the actual ability to convert nitrate. Confirms the helpful pathway is genuinely active.
It's why the Balance Test can confidently report this function - and why it underpins the Cardiometabolic specialty report for medical providers.
The evidence, named
annotated references tie every weight and penalty to published evidence.
Each scoring decision links to the research behind it. Here's a sample - the full annotated list is part of the methodology documentation, kept under version control to clinical-lab standards.
...and 22 more, each tied to a specific scoring decision - patterns, weights, penalties, protective scoring, and cavity separation, all mapped.