Abstract
ABSTRACT Background: Recent studies have reveled the presence of a complex fungal community (mycobiome) in the oral cavity. However, the role of oral mycobiome in dental caries and its interaction with caries-associated bacteria is not yet clear. Methods: Whole-mouth supragingival plaque samples from 30 children (6–10 years old) with no caries, early caries, or advanced caries were sequenced for internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2). The mycobiome profiles were correlated with previously published bacteriome counterparts. Interaction among selected fungal and bacterial species was assessed by co-culture or spent media experiments. Results: Fungal load was extremely low. Candida, Malassezia, Cryptococcus, and Trichoderma spp. were the most prevalent/abundant taxa. Advanced caries was associated with significantly higher fungal load and prevalence/abundance of Candida albicans. Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida sake were significantly over-abundant in early caries, while Malassezia globosa was significantly enriched in caries-free subjects. C. albicans correlated with Streptococcus mutans and Scardovia wiggsiae among other caries-associated bacteria, while M. globosa inversely correlated with caries-associated bacteria. In-vitro, M. globosa demonstrated inhibitory properties against S. mutans. Conclusions: the results substantiate the potential role of the oral mycobiome, primarily Candida species, in dental caries. Inter-kingdom correlations and inhibition of S. mutans by M. globosa are worth further investigation.
Highlights
The primary role of bacteria within dental plaque in the etiology of dental caries is well established
Despite extensive research on the human oral microbiome, little is known about its fungal component, species belonging to genera other than Candida
In this study we found the fungal load in supragingival plaque to be in the range of 4–10 fungi for each 10 million bacteria, which is even lower than that found in saliva (0.06%) [26]
Summary
The primary role of bacteria within dental plaque in the etiology of dental caries is well established. The ‘one pathogen, one disease’ paradigm dominated the study of oral infections, which resulted in implicating a handful of species in the etiology of dental caries [1]. Employing molecular approaches over the last two decades has revealed the high diversity of oral microbial communities and complexity of microbial shifts associated with dental caries, considerably expanding the list of taxa that may be involved in dental caries etiology [3]. Recent studies have reveled the presence of a complex fungal community (mycobiome) in the oral cavity. The role of oral mycobiome in dental caries and its interaction with caries-associated bacteria is not yet clear. Advanced caries was associated with significantly higher fungal load and prevalence/abundance of Candida albicans. Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida sake were significantly over-abundant in early caries, while Malassezia globosa was significantly enriched in caries-free subjects. In-vitro, M. globosa demonstrated inhibitory properties against S. mutans
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