title: Exploration of bacterial species associated with the salivary microbiome of individuals with a low susceptibility to dental caries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dental caries is caused by acidogenic plaque microbiota formed on saliva-bathed tooth surfaces, in which multiple organisms act collectively to initiate and expand a cavity. We explored bacterial species associated with the salivary microbiome of individuals with low susceptibility to dental caries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The bacterial composition of saliva from 19 young adults was analyzed using barcoded pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene; we compared 10 caries-experienced (CE) and nine caries-free (CF) individuals. A quantitative PCR assay of saliva from 139 orally healthy adults aged 40-59 years was carried out to confirm the result obtained by pyrosequencing analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The microbiomes of CF individuals showed more diverse communities with a significantly greater proportion of the genus Porphyromonas. Among operational taxonomic units (OTUs) corresponding to the genus Porphyromonas, the OTU corresponding to P. pasteri was the most predominant and its relative abundance in CF individuals was significantly greater than in CE individuals (P < 0.001, Wilcoxon rank sum test). A quantitative PCR assay of saliva confirmed that the amounts of P. pasteri were significantly higher in individuals with lower caries experience (filled teeth <15, n = 67) than in those with higher caries experience (filled teeth ≥15, n = 72) (P < 0.001, Student's t test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results revealed an association between a greater abundance of P. pasteri and lower susceptibility to dental caries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  P. pasteri may be a bacterial species that could potentially be used as a marker for maintaining a healthy oral microbiome against dental caries.
authors.affiliation: Section of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan.|Section of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.affiliation: Section of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.affiliation: Section of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.affiliation: Section of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuta
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry and Dental Public Health, School of Dentistry, Aichi-Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimazaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Management, School of Oral Health Science, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akifusa
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Graduate School of Medial Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kiyohara
authors.affiliation: Section of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Section of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Fukuoka, Japan. yoshi@dent.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017861:Porphyromonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: 16S rRNA; Dental caries; Microbiome; Porphyromonas pasteri; Saliva