Abstract
BackgroundMany factors can contribute to the exact makeup of the salivary microbiome. Differences in the oral microbiome occur with old age, which may be due to oral conditions and diseases associated with old age, such as edentulism, as well as other unknown causes.MethodsThe salivary microbiome was sampled in patients from a large urban clinic. For all subjects age, gender, periodontal status, caries status, presence of edentulism, medications, and tobacco usage were recorded. Multifactor analysis was used to study variation in salivary microbiome profiles linked to these factors.ResultsIn the population sampled, there were significantly higher numbers of edentulous subjects, and increased levels of polypharmacy found with aging. Large differences in alpha diversity and beta diversity of the salivary microbiome in the old age group were largely linked to edentulism. However, multivariable analysis revealed, even after adjusting for differences in edentulism, polypharmacy, tobacco usage, periodontal disease, caries level, and gender, that old age itself was associated with lower levels of taxa Porphyromonas endodontalis, Alloprevotella tannerae, Filifactor alocis, Treponema, Lautropia Mirabilis and Pseudopropionibacterium sp._HMT_194. Surprisingly, of these taxa, most were ones known to reside on or near tooth surfaces.ConclusionsAnother factor or factors beyond edentulism, polypharmacy and periodontal disease play a role in the differences seen in oral microbiome with old age. The nature of this factor(s) is not known.
Highlights
Many factors can contribute to the exact makeup of the salivary microbiome
Edentulism, tobacco usage, and caries were significantly associated with variation of the beta diversity in the salivary microbiota (Fig. 3)
Many factors each make small contributions to the diversity of the salivary microbiome. This conclusion is supported by an earlier study that focused on effects of diet and anthropometric measures, with no single factor contributing more than 2% to overall oral microbiome variation [33]. That this would be true for oral disease, active caries, and periodontal disease may be because there are many niches in the oral cavity that are not affected by these diseases
Summary
The salivary microbiome was sampled in patients from a large urban clinic. Gender, periodontal status, caries status, presence of edentulism, medications, and tobacco usage were recorded. Study inclusion criteria were: 18 years of age and older, medical record, current medication list, full periodontal exam, visual, tactile and radiographic caries exam, dentate or edentulous, and agreement to supply a saliva sample. Study exclusion criteria were: presence of restored dental implants, removable partial dentures, maxillofacial defects, scaling of teeth within the past 3 months; acute disease that requires urgent care, less than twenty [20] natural teeth for the dentate subjects, antibiotic use within the past month. Edentulous patients without periodontia were considered to lack active periodontal disease. A subset of samples were reported on in an earlier study [18]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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.
