Erdrich Sharon, Jayasinghe Thilini, Vuyisich Momchilo, Toma Ryan, Gelissen Ingrid, Harnett Joanna E
Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
Eur J Pain. 2025 Jul;29(6):e70051. doi: 10.1002/ejp.70051.
Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder, associated with a range of symptoms, not least of which is chronic, widespread pain. Although several reports have brought the role of oral health in systemic diseases into recent focus, the oral microbiome in fibromyalgia is unexplored. The aim of this study was to compare oral health and the oral microbiome in women with fibromyalgia with that of age-matched controls.
This observational case-control study recruited adult non-smoking, non-diabetic women meeting American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2016 fibromyalgia criteria and age-matched controls living in New Zealand. Metatranscriptomic data from salivary samples were evaluated for differences at phyla, genus and species level, with adjustment for age, BMI and added dietary sugar intake. Results were examined against self-reported oral health.
No differences were seen in richness or diversity of oral species between the fibromyalgia (n = 106) and control (n = 52) groups. Women with fibromyalgia had significantly lower scores on measures of oral health, which were associated with subtle shifts in the core oral microbiome. Several oral genera were significantly correlated with oral health scores (q ≤ 0.05). Higher relative abundance of the periopathogens Prevotella denticola and Solobacterium moorei was apparent in women with fibromyalgia.
Significant differences in oral health and the oral microbiome were seen in women with fibromyalgia. This novel discovery presents an intriguing hypothesis that invites deeper investigation into the interaction between oral health and the oral microbiome in this population, and whether these influence the aetiology and/or symptoms of fibromyalgia in women.
This study presents the first evidence of altered oral microbiome in women with fibromyalgia, revealing significant disparities in oral health and the microbiome. The observed overabundance of periopathogens and the underrepresentation of commensals compared to a control group suggest intriguing potential links between the oral microbiome and fibromyalgia symptoms. These findings indicate that enhancing oral health may have broader implications for disease management and lay a robust foundation for further exploration of oral-systemic interactions in fibromyalgia.
纤维肌痛是一种复杂的疾病，伴有一系列症状，其中慢性广泛性疼痛尤为突出。尽管有几份报告使口腔健康在全身性疾病中的作用成为近期关注焦点，但纤维肌痛患者的口腔微生物群尚未得到研究。本研究的目的是比较纤维肌痛女性与年龄匹配的对照组的口腔健康状况和口腔微生物群。
这项观察性病例对照研究招募了符合美国风湿病学会（ACR）2016年纤维肌痛标准的成年非吸烟、非糖尿病女性以及居住在新西兰的年龄匹配的对照组。对唾液样本的宏转录组数据在门、属和种水平进行差异评估，并对年龄、体重指数和额外的膳食糖摄入量进行调整。将结果与自我报告的口腔健康状况进行对照检查。
纤维肌痛组（n = 106）和对照组（n = 52）之间口腔物种的丰富度或多样性没有差异。纤维肌痛女性的口腔健康指标得分显著较低，这与核心口腔微生物群的细微变化有关。几个口腔属与口腔健康得分显著相关（q≤0.05）。在纤维肌痛女性中，牙周病原体齿垢普雷沃菌和穆氏梭杆菌的相对丰度较高。
纤维肌痛女性在口腔健康和口腔微生物群方面存在显著差异。这一新颖发现提出了一个有趣的假设，即需要对该人群中口腔健康与口腔微生物群之间的相互作用以及这些是否影响女性纤维肌痛的病因和/或症状进行更深入的研究。
本研究首次提供了纤维肌痛女性口腔微生物群改变的证据，揭示了口腔健康和微生物群的显著差异。与对照组相比，观察到的牙周病原体过度存在和共生菌代表性不足表明口腔微生物群与纤维肌痛症状之间存在有趣的潜在联系。这些发现表明，改善口腔健康可能对疾病管理具有更广泛的意义，并为进一步探索纤维肌痛中的口腔-全身相互作用奠定了坚实基础。
