Ethnic variation of oral microbiota in children

Abstract

Despite widely used preventive measures such as sealant programs to control caries prevalence, disparities are seen among ethnic groups. Supragingival plaque harbors hundreds of bacterial species, playing a significant role in oral health and disease. It is unknown whether the ethnic variation influences the supragingival microbiota in children. In our study, variations in microbiota of the supragingival plaque was investigated from 96 children between 6 and 11 years old in four ethnic groups (African American, Burmese, Caucasian, and Hispanic) from the same geographic location by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that the microbial alpha and beta diversity of supragingival microbiota significantly differed between ethnic groups. The supragingival plaque microbiota had the most complex microbial community in Burmese children. Within-group microbiota similarity in Burmese or Caucasian children was significantly higher than between-groups similarity. We identified seven ethnic group-specific bacterial taxa after adjusting for dental plaque index, decayed missing filled teeth (DMFT) and the frequency of brushing. Children with high plaque index and high DMFT values were more similar to each other in the overall microbial community, compared to low plaque index or low DMFT groups in which inter-subject variation is high. Several bacterial taxa associated with high plaque index or high DMFT were ethnic group-specific. These results demonstrated that supragingival microbiota differed among ethnicity groups in children.

The composition of microbial communities in inflammatory periodontal diseases in young adults Tatars

“…A number of studies have examined oral microbial communities of human hosts of different ethnic or environmental origin [36] , [37] , [45] – [47] . However, comparisons with our study are not always straightforward, since there are differences in the area of sampling (saliva, tonsils, supragingival and subgingival dental plaque) and the age of subjects.…”

“…However, comparisons with our study are not always straightforward, since there are differences in the area of sampling (saliva, tonsils, supragingival and subgingival dental plaque) and the age of subjects. Premaraj et al identified seven ethnic group-specific bacterial taxa among supragingival plaque of children between 6 and 11 years old in four ethnic groups (African American, Burmese, Caucasian, and Hispanic) and found that the microbial alpha diversity of supragingival microbiota significantly differed between ethnic groups [45] . Mason et al found that the subgingival microbial fingerprint could successfully discriminate between people four major ethnicities in the United States: non-Hispanic blacks, non-Hispanic whites, Chinese, and Latinos (over 18 years of age).…”

Geographic Variation Did Not Affect the Predictive Power of Salivary Microbiota for Caries in Children With Mixed Dentition

“…Regarding geographical factors, former studies reported that adult populations from different continental regions or even countries had microbial variations in saliva (Nasidze et al, 2009;Li et al, 2014), and supragingival microbiota differed among ethnic groups (i.e., African American, Burmese, Caucasian, and Hispanic) in children from the same geographic location (i.e., Burma) (Premaraj et al, 2020). Those studies showed the importance of understanding the bacterial community across geography.…”

Microbiome Studies from Saudi Arabia over the Last 10 Years: Achievements, Gaps, and Future Directions

“…Studies on diversity and function of healthy human microbiomes started in 2012 by the Human Microbiome Project Consortium [ 10 ]. The gut and oral microbiota can be a signature of ethnicity [ 11 , 12 ]. A change of gut microbiota directly correlates with diet and various diseases [ 13 ].…”