Streptococcus mutansWIKIMEDIA, CDCWhen the human body changes as a result of disease, age, or other factors, site-specific microbiomes are also altered. Now, researchers report that changes in the oral microbial community can be used to predict the onset of dental caries in young children months before clinical signs of disease appear. The results, published today (September 9) in Cell Host & Microbe, suggest that changes to the oral microbiome can be used as an indicator of disease risk for some conditions.
The work is a “great contribution” to understanding how the oral microbiome develops in young children with and without caries, according to Elisabeth Bik, a microbiologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine who was not involved in the study.
Early childhood caries is the most common oral disease among children. Once it sets in, the disease is irreversible and places children at a higher risk of developing tooth decay as adults. Previous studies have attempted to identify markers correlated with the disease, including specific pathogens, oral hygiene habits, and sugar consumption, but these investigations failed to consistently equate these factors with the occurrence of caries. “Typically, a child’s risk of caries is best estimated based on past occurrence of the disease,” said study coauthor ...
