Subgingival microbiota of Sri Lankan tea labourers naïve to oral hygiene measures

• Published in: Journal of clinical periodontology Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 433 - 441
• Main Authors: Zhuang, Long-Fei, Watt, Rory M., Steiner, Sarah, Lang-Hua, Bich Hue, Wang, Ren, Ramseier, Christoph A., Lang, Niklaus P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2014
• Subjects: Aged; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Cohort Studies; Dental Plaque - microbiology; Dentistry; disease aetiology; Firmicutes; Food Industry; Fusobacteria - classification; Gram-Positive Bacteria - classification; Gum disease; Humans; Male; microbial ecology; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Oral Hygiene; Periodontal Pocket - classification; Periodontal Pocket - microbiology; periodontitis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Proteobacteria; Proteobacteria - classification; RNA, Bacterial - analysis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - analysis; Sequence Analysis, RNA - classification; Sri Lanka; subgingival plaque; Tea; Sri Lanka; disease aetiology; oral hygiene; subgingival plaque; microbial ecology; periodontitis
• ISSN: 0303-6979; 1600-051X; 1600-051X
• DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.12230

Aim To characterize the subgingival microbiota within a cohort of adult males (n = 32) naïve to oral hygiene practices, and to compare the composition of bacterial taxa present in periodontal sites with various probing depths. Material and Methods Subgingival plaque samples were collected from single shallow pocket [pocket probing depth (PPD)≤3 mm] and deep pocket (PPD≥6 mm) sites from each subject. A polymerase chain reaction based strategy was used to construct a clone library of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes for each site. The sequences of ca. 30–60 plasmid clones were determined for each site to identify resident taxa. Microbial composition was compared using a variety of statistical and bioinformatics approaches. Results A total of 1887 cloned 16S rRNA gene sequences were analysed, which were assigned to 318 operational taxonomic units (98% identity cut‐off). The subgingival microbiota was dominated by Firmicutes (69.8%), Proteobacteria (16.3%), and Fusobacteria (8.0%). The overall composition of microbial communities in shallow sites was significantly different from those within deep sites (∫‐Libshuff, p < 0.001). Conclusions A taxonomically diverse subgingival microbiota was present within this cohort; however, the structures of the microbial communities present in the respective subjects exhibited limited variation. Deep and shallow sites contained notably different microbial compositions, but this was not correlated with the rate of periodontal progression.