Feng Qiong, Huang Wengyan, Zhao Xuedan, Sheng Ting, Peng Bo, Meng Si, Liu Weijia, Ge Lihong, Wang Lijing, Pathak Janak Lal, Jiang Qianzhou, Lin Rong, Zeng Sujuan
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Oral Restoration and Reconstruction & Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Applied Research of Oral Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China.
Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, 510440, China.
BMC Oral Health. 2025 Mar 19;25(1):408. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05713-z.
The prevalence of visual impairment (VS) among children in China is increasing. The oral microbiome is crucial for maintaining homeostasis and health. This study aimed to investigate the oral health and hygiene habits of children with VS in Guangzhou and explore the differences in salivary microbiota (SM) between children with VS and healthy vision (HS).
This study included oral health examinations and surveys of oral hygiene habits among 101 children with VS. Saliva samples from 20 children with VS and 20 with HS were analysed for oral microbiota. The 16s rRNA V3-V4 regions were sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform and operational taxonomic units were clustered using QIIME for statistical analysis.
Inadequate oral hygiene was observed among 101 children with VS, aged 6-16, who displayed a high caries rate of 92.1%. There was no significant difference in the overall composition of the salivary microbiota between the two groups. HS group had a higher abundance of Bacillota, Patescibacteria, and Spirochaetota at the phylum level; Bacilli, Negativicutes, and Saccharimonadia at the class level; and Streptococcus at the genus level. In contrast, VS group showed a greater abundance of Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Pseudomonadota, and Fusobacteriota (at the phylum level) and Actinomycetia, Bacteroidia, Gammaproteobacteria, Fusobacteriia, and Clostridia (at the class level), along with Rothia, Neisseria, Veillonella, Prevotella_7, Actinomyces, Leptotrichia, and Lactobacillales (at the genus level). Actinomycetota was significantly and positively correlated with gingivitis and dental caries, and Streptococcus salivarius was more abundant in children with VS.
This study underscores the importance of improving oral healthcare for schoolchildren with VS in Guangzhou, China and provides valuable insights into the characteristics of the salivary microbiota of this population, identifying potential targets for interventions aimed at enhancing oral health.
中国儿童视力损害（VS）的患病率正在上升。口腔微生物群对于维持体内平衡和健康至关重要。本研究旨在调查广州视力损害儿童的口腔健康和卫生习惯，并探讨视力损害儿童与视力正常（HS）儿童唾液微生物群（SM）的差异。
本研究包括对101名视力损害儿童进行口腔健康检查和口腔卫生习惯调查。分析了20名视力损害儿童和20名视力正常儿童的唾液样本中的口腔微生物群。使用Illumina MiSeq平台对16S rRNA V3-V4区域进行测序，并使用QIIME对操作分类单元进行聚类以进行统计分析。
在101名6至16岁的视力损害儿童中观察到口腔卫生不足，龋齿率高达92.1%。两组唾液微生物群的总体组成没有显著差异。HS组在门水平上芽孢杆菌门、微孢菌门和螺旋体门的丰度较高；在纲水平上芽孢杆菌纲、厌氧杆菌纲和糖单胞菌纲的丰度较高；在属水平上链球菌属的丰度较高。相比之下，VS组在门水平上放线菌门、拟杆菌门、假单胞菌门和梭杆菌门的丰度更高；在纲水平上放线菌纲、拟杆菌纲、γ-变形菌纲、梭杆菌纲和梭菌纲的丰度更高；在属水平上罗氏菌属、奈瑟菌属、韦荣球菌属、普雷沃菌属_7、放线菌属、纤毛菌属和乳杆菌目的丰度更高。放线菌门与牙龈炎和龋齿显著正相关，唾液链球菌在视力损害儿童中更为丰富。
本研究强调了改善中国广州视力损害学童口腔保健的重要性，并为该人群唾液微生物群的特征提供了有价值的见解，确定了旨在改善口腔健康的干预措施的潜在目标。
