The short‐term impact of comprehensive caries treatment on the supragingival microbiome of severe early childhood caries

• Published in: International journal of paediatric dentistry Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 505 - 515
• Main Authors: Tian, Jing, Zhao, Bingqian, Wang, Jingyan, Du, Wenbin, Ma, Wenli, Xia, Bin, Xu, He, Chen, Tsute, He, Xuesong, Qin, Man
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2024
• Subjects: 16S rRNA gene sequencing; Anesthesia; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Children; Childrens health; comprehensive caries treatment; Dental caries; Dental Caries - microbiology; Dental Caries - therapy; Dental plaque; Dental Plaque - microbiology; DNA sequencing; Female; Fluoride treatments; Humans; Male; Microbiomes; Microbiota; oral microbiome; Relative abundance; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; rRNA 16S; severe early childhood caries; supragingival plaque; oral microbiome; supragingival plaque; 16S rRNA gene sequencing; severe early childhood caries; comprehensive caries treatment
• ISSN: 0960-7439; 1365-263X; 1365-263X
• DOI: 10.1111/ipd.13151

Background Children affected by severe early childhood caries (S‐ECC) usually need comprehensive caries treatment due to the extensive of caries. How the oral microbiome changes after caries therapy within the short‐term warrant further study. Aim This study aimed to investigate the short‐term impact of comprehensive caries treatment on the supragingival plaque microbiome of S‐ECC children. Design Thirty‐three children aged 2–4 years with severe caries (dt > 7) were recruited. Comprehensive caries treatment was performed under general anesthesia in one session and included restoration, pulp treatment, extraction, and fluoride application. Supragingival plaque was sampled pre‐ and 1‐month posttreatment. The genomic DNA of the supragingival plaque was extracted, and bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was performed. Results Our data showed that the microbial community evenness significantly decreased posttreatment. Furthermore, comprehensive caries treatment led to more diverse microbial structures among the subjects. The interbacterial interactions reflected by the microbial community's co‐occurrence network tended to be less complex posttreatment. Caries treatment increased the relative abundance of Corynebacterium matruchotii, Corynebacterium durum, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Saccharibacteria HMT‐347, as well as Aggregatibacter HMT‐458 and Haemophilus influenzae. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Streptococcus mutans, three species from Leptotrichia, Neisseria bacilliformis, and Provotella pallens significantly decreased posttreatment. Conclusion Our results suggested that comprehensive caries treatment may contribute to the reconstruction of a healthier supragingival microbiome.