Dental News - New study may help in better prevention of early childhood caries

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 16. April 2018

save

ALEXANDRIA, Va., U.S.: Protecting children against the early onset of dental caries is something all dentists should consider a priority. According to the results of a recent U.S. study, supragingival biofilm potentially harbors taxonomic and functional information that could be used to inform precision dentistry in early childhood caries (ECC) prevention, something the researchers believe will provide novel insights into the metagenomics of the infection.

“With this study, we sought to characterize preschool-age children’s supragingival microbiome composition according to clinical statuses of health (‘caries-free’), ‘restored disease’ and ‘non-restored’ or ‘untreated’ disease,” said lead researcher Dr. Kimon Divaris, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, U.S.

The study group consisted of 118 children aged 3–5 who were enrolled in ZOE 2.0, a community-based genetic epidemiological study in North Carolina. Examiners recorded caries experience at the surface level using modified International Caries Detection and Assessment System criteria and classified children as being caries-free or having restored or untreated disease. The researchers then collected supragingival biofilm samples from the study group, and these were frozen on-site and processed and underwent whole genome sequencing, the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genetic material at a single time.

From this, the researchers identified 85 bacterial genera and 201 bacterial species—185 of which were identified down to the strain level. According to the results, notable differences in species abundance were found between the three groups, including the following: caries-free: Streptococcus intermediusand Capnocytophaga; restored disease: Actinomyces odontolyticusand Streptococcus australis; and untreated disease: Streptococcus mutans.

“This knowledge is foundational for the development of precision medicine/precision dentistry approaches for diagnosis, prevention and treatment in the oral health domain. Our long-term goal is to characterize oral health and disease at the molecular level; in other words, define taxonomic or functional signatures in the supragingival biofilm that represent the ECC-associated oral dysbiosis prior to clinical disease development,” said Divaris.

The study, titled “Metagenomics of early childhood oral health and early childhood caries,” was presented at the 47^thannual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research by Divaris and ZOE 2.0 co-investigators Drs. Andrea Ferreira-Zandona and Jeannie Ginnis, also from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, on March 22 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

New AI platform radically improves detection of early childhood caries

HONG KONG: According to the Global Burden of Disease study, early childhood caries affects approximately 530 million children around the world, making it ...

Novel discovery may help in early caries detection in high-risk children

UMEÅ, Sweden: Researchers at Umeå University in Sweden have made a novel discovery connecting highly virulent types of the Streptococcus mutans caries ...

Study links lack of supervised brushing in childhood to caries

FORT MYERS, Fla., US: Although many college students recognise the impact that lifestyle choices have on oral health, minority students often have limited ...

Study shows fillings may not be best treatment for childhood dental caries

LEEDS, UK: Though dental fillings are an established method of treating the presence of dental caries in permanent dentition, their usefulness for treating ...

Study offers new insights into dental caries development and prevention

HONG KONG, China/BERKELEY, Calif., US: A study led by researchers in China has recently examined the impact of the oral microbiota on overall health. The ...

Early microbial determinants of peri-implant health discovered in a new study

ANN ARBOR, Mich., US: As the number of dental implants placed globally continues to rise, so too does the clinical significance of understanding ...

Study examines effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride and sealants in caries arrest and prevention

NEW YORK, US: In a recent study, researchers investigated the effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride and dental sealants in the arrest and prevention of ...

Collaboration between healthcare professionals may help reduce caries

LIMA, Peru: In a recent study, researchers have developed an integrated intervention programme to reduce the prevalence and severity of early childhood ...

Early preventive dental care may not reduce caries risk

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., USA: There is a recommendation for children to have a dental visit by 6 months of age, but there is insufficient evidence of improved ...

New risk of dental caries in the US

LEIPZIG, Germany: Rural communities across the US are facing a growing oral health crisis as access to fluoridated water and dental care diminishes. This ...

Education

Live webinar
Fri. 19 September 2025
8:00 am EST (New York)