Abstract The onset and development of periodontitis centers around microbiota dysbiosis and disrupted host responses. Dynamic metabolic activities of the subgingival microbiota modify the polymicrobial community, shape the microenvironment, and modulate the host response. A complicated metabolic network exists in interspecies interactions between periodontal pathobionts and commensals, which can lead to the development of dysbiotic plaque. Dysbiotic subgingival microbiota undergo metabolic interactions with the host and disrupt host–microbe equilibrium. In this review, we discuss the metabolic profiles of the subgingival microbiota, the metabolic crosstalk in polymicrobial communities, including pathobionts and commensals, and the metabolic interactions between microbes and the host.