Sociodemographic variation in the oral microbiome

• Published in: Annals of epidemiology Vol. 35; pp. 73 - 80.e2
• Main Authors: Renson, Audrey, Jones, Heidi E., Beghini, Francesco, Segata, Nicola, Zolnik, Christine P., Usyk, Mykhaylo, Moody, Thomas U., Thorpe, Lorna, Burk, Robert, Waldron, Levi, Dowd, Jennifer B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2019
• Subjects: Bacteria - classification; Demographics; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - isolation & purification; Female; Health disparities; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Male; Microbiota - genetics; Mouth - microbiology; Mouth Mucosa - microbiology; Mouthwashes; Oral microbiome; Population Surveillance - methods; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - isolation & purification; Social epidemiology; Socioeconomic Factors; Demographics; Social epidemiology; Oral microbiome; Health disparities
• ISSN: 1047-2797; 1873-2585
• DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.03.006

Variations in the oral microbiome are potentially implicated in social inequalities in oral disease, cancers, and metabolic disease. We describe sociodemographic variation of oral microbiomes in a diverse sample. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing on mouthwash specimens in a subsample (n = 282) of the 2013–2014 population-based New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Study. We examined differential abundance of 216 operational taxonomic units, and alpha and beta diversity by age, sex, income, education, nativity, and race/ethnicity. For comparison, we examined differential abundance by diet, smoking status, and oral health behaviors. Sixty-nine operational taxonomic units were differentially abundant by any sociodemographic variable (false discovery rate < 0.01), including 27 by race/ethnicity, 21 by family income, 19 by education, 3 by sex. We found 49 differentially abundant by smoking status, 23 by diet, 12 by oral health behaviors. Genera differing for multiple sociodemographic characteristics included Lactobacillus, Prevotella, Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium. We identified oral microbiome variation consistent with health inequalities, more taxa differing by race/ethnicity than diet, and more by SES variables than oral health behaviors. Investigation is warranted into possible mediating effects of the oral microbiome in social disparities in oral and metabolic diseases and cancers. •Oral microbiome studies to date have had limited sociodemographic variability.•We examined the oral microbiome in a subsample of a diverse population-based sample.•Numerous taxa were differentially abundant by every sociodemographic variable.•Differentially abundant taxa included Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, and Prevotella.•Many differentially abundant taxa are associated with oral and systemic disease.