title: Microbiota of severe early childhood caries before and after therapy.
abstract: Severe early childhood caries (ECC) is difficult to treat successfully. This study aimed to characterize the microbiota of severe ECC and evaluate whether baseline or follow-up microbiotas are associated with new lesions post-treatment. Plaque samples from 2- to 6-year-old children were analyzed by a 16S rRNA-based microarray and by PCR for selected taxa. Severe-ECC children were monitored for 12 months post-therapy. By microarray, species associated with severe-ECC (n = 53) compared with caries-free (n = 32) children included Slackia exigua (p = 0.002), Streptococcus parasanguinis (p = 0.013), and Prevotella species (p < 0.02). By PCR, severe-ECC-associated taxa included Bifidobacteriaceae (p < 0.001), Scardovia wiggsiae (p = 0.003), Streptococcus mutans with bifidobacteria (p < 0.001), and S. mutans with S. wiggsiae (p = 0.001). In follow-up, children without new lesions (n = 36) showed lower detection of taxa including S. mutans, changes not observed in children with follow-up lesions (n = 17). Partial least-squares modeling separated the children into caries-free and two severe-ECC groups with either a stronger bacterial or a stronger dietary component. We conclude that several species, including S. wiggsiae and S. exigua, are associated with the ecology of advanced caries, that successful treatment is accompanied by a change in the microbiota, and that severe ECC is diverse, with influences from selected bacteria or from diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, The Forsyth Institute, 245 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. annetanner@forsyth.org
authors.forename: A C R
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Tanner
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: P Lif
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Holgerson
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Loo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kanasi
authors.forename: N I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D004037:Diet, Cariogenic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018720:Prevotella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012008:Recurrence; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial