Plaque Microbiome in Caries-Active and Caries-Free Teeth by Dentition.

Describe associations between dental caries and dental plaque microbiome, by dentition and family membership. This cross-sectional analysis included 584 participants in the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia Cohort 1 (COHRA1). We sequenced the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (V4 region) of frozen supragingival plaque, collected 10 y prior, from 185 caries-active (enamel and dentinal) and 565 caries-free (no lesions) teeth using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Sequences were filtered using the R DADA2 package and assigned taxonomy using the Human Oral Microbiome Database. Microbiomes of caries-active and caries-free teeth were most similar in primary dentition and least similar in permanent dentition, but caries-active teeth were significantly less diverse than caries-free teeth in all dentition types. Streptococcus mutans had greater relative abundance in caries-active than caries-free teeth in all dentition types ( The diversity of supragingival plaque composition from caries-active and caries-free teeth changed with dentition, but Patients' and dentists' concerns about transmission of bacteria within families causing caries should be tempered by the evidence that some shared bacteria may contribute to good oral health.