Taxonomic and functional alterations in the salivary microbiota of children with and without severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) at the age of 3

PeerJ

article

Zhe Tang¹  Wenyi Xu²  Zhifang Zhou³  Yanchun Qiao¹  Shuguo Zheng¹  Wensheng Rong¹ 

[1] Department of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology;Beijing QuantiHealth Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing QuantiHealth Technology Co., Ltd.;Department of Stomatology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University

关键词: Severe early childhood caries (S-ECC);    Shotgun sequencing;    KEGG analysis;    Carbohydrate metabolism;    Salivary microbiota;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.13529

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPrimary dental caries is the most prevalent oral disease among preschool children, which can cause severe damage to teeth and even affect the mental well-being of children. Various studies have demonstrated that the oral microbiome plays a pivotal role in the onset and development of dental caries. However, it remains uncertain about the key microbial markers associated with caries, owing to the limited evidence.MethodsFifteen S-ECC children and fifteen healthy controls were selected from three-year-old children in this study. Their clinical data and oral saliva samples were collected. Shotgun sequencing was conducted to investigate the microbial differences and the relevant functions between the two groups.ResultsWe observed no apparent difference in oral microbial community diversity between the two groups. Still, at the genus/species levels, several characteristic genera/species such as Propionibacterium, Propionibacterium acidifaciens, Prevotella denticola, Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces sp. oral taxon 448/414 increased significantly in S-ECC children, compared with the oral health group. Furthermore, we found that functional pathways involving glycolysis and acid production, such as starch and sucrose metabolism, fructose and mannose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, were prominently up-regulated in the high-caries group.ConclusionsOur study showed that dental caries in children were associated with the alterations in the oral microbiota at the composition and functional levels, which may potentially inspire the exploration of microbial diagnosis or therapeutic treatments.

【 授权许可】

CC BY