Mendelian Randomisation Study on Association of Gut Microbiota and Periodontitis

Abstract

ObjectiveSeveral studies have demonstrated the possible association between gut microbiota and periodontitis. The mechanism by which gut microbiota contribute to periodontitis remains unknown. MethodsA 2-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) study was conducted using publicly available Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data of European ancestry. The relationships between gut microbiota and tooth loss and periodontitis were assessed using summary-level data. Moreover, inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, and simple Mendelian were used. The results were further validated using sensitivity analyses. ResultsA total of 211 gut microbiota were studied, including 9 phyla, 16 classes, 20 orders, 35 families, and 131 genera. The IVW method identified 16 bacterial genera related to the risk of periodontitis and tooth loss. Lactobacillaceae was associated with an increased risk of periodontitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.91, P<.001) and tooth loss (OR, 1.12; 95% CIs, 1.02–1.24, P = .002), whereas Lachnospiraceae UCG008 was linked to a lower risk of tooth loss (P = .041). There was no heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy in the sensitivity analysis. ConclusionsSeveral microorganisms were identified to be linked to the risk of periodontitis. Furthermore, the findings improved our understanding of gut microbiota and periodontitis pathology.