Abstract
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience unacceptably high rates of dental caries compared to their non-Indigenous Australian counterparts. Dental caries significantly impacts the quality of life of children and their families, particularly in remote communities. While many socioeconomic and lifestyle factors impact caries risk, the central role of the oral microbiota in mediating dental caries has not been extensively investigated in these communities. Here, we examine factors that shape diversity and composition of the salivary microbiota in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents living in the remote Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Far North Queensland. We employed 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing to profile bacteria present in saliva collected from 205 individuals aged 4–17 years from the NPA. Higher average microbial diversity was generally linked to increased age and salivary pH, less frequent toothbrushing, and proxies for lower socioeconomic status (SES). Differences in microbial composition were significantly related to age, salivary pH, SES proxies, and active dental caries. Notably, a feature classified as Streptococcus sobrinus increased in abundance in children who reported less frequent tooth brushing. A specific Veillonella feature was associated with caries presence, while features classified as Actinobacillus/Haemophilus and Leptotrichia were associated with absence of caries; a Lactobacillus gasseri feature increased in abundance in severe caries. Finally, we statistically assessed the interplay between dental caries and caries risk factors in shaping the oral microbiota. These data provide a detailed understanding of biological, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors that shape the oral microbiota and may underpin caries development in this group. This information can be used in the future to improve tailored caries prevention and management options for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and communities.
Highlights
Dental caries is a highly prevalent oral disease that severely impacts children and families’ quality of life [1, 2]
Specific ethnicity data was not collected alongside individual saliva samples, within the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) community 49.5% identified as Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander, 46.4% identified as Torres Strait Islander only, 1% identified as Aboriginal Australian only, and 3.1% identified as neither
The salivary microbiota was dominated by Prevotella (18%), Neisseria (14%), Haemophilus (12%), Streptococcus (9%), Rothia (8%), Veillonella (6%), Fusobacterium (4%), Alloprevotella (3%), Porphyromonas (3%), Gemella (2%), Granulicatella (2%), Leptotrichia (2%), Actinomyces (2%), and Aggregatibacter (2%), with various genera accounting for 1% or less of total sequences
Summary
Dental caries is a highly prevalent oral disease that severely impacts children and families’ quality of life [1, 2]. A 2006 survey of child caries experience in a remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Far North Queensland found that caries experience in NPA children was over four times the national average [6]. Caries incidence in this community remained unacceptably high as of 2015 [7]. Risk factors for caries include lifestyle (e.g., oral hygiene, diet, fluoride exposure) and underlying host susceptibility (e.g., immune factors, prevalence of caries-promoting oral bacteria) [8, 9] Many of these factors are prevalent for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children [10]. The salivary microbiota was dominated by Prevotella (18%), Neisseria (14%), Haemophilus (12%), Streptococcus (9%), Rothia (8%), Veillonella (6%), Fusobacterium (4%), Alloprevotella (3%), Porphyromonas (3%), Gemella (2%), Granulicatella (2%), Leptotrichia (2%), Actinomyces (2%), and Aggregatibacter (2%), with various genera accounting for 1% or less of total sequences
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
