Salivary microbial profiles in relation to age, periodontal, and systemic diseases

• Published in: PloS one 2018-03, Vol.13 (3), p.e0189374-e0189374
• Main Authors: Lira-Junior, Ronaldo, Åkerman, Sigvard, Klinge, Björn, Boström, Elisabeth A, Gustafsson, Anders
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Age; Age factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Bacteria; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood pressure; Bone loss; Cardiovascular diseases; Care and treatment; Cohort Studies; Coronary artery disease; Dentistry; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; Diabetes mellitus; DNA; Female; Firmicutes; Geriatrics; Health aspects; Heart; Heart diseases; Heart surgery; Humans; Hybridization; Hypertension; Inflammation - microbiology; Intestine; Joint diseases; Male; Males; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental disorders; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Middle Aged; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Muscles; Odontology; Older people; Oral diseases; Oral hygiene; People and Places; Periodontal disease; Periodontal diseases; Periodontal Diseases - microbiology; Periodontics; Physiology; Properties; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Saliva; Saliva - microbiology; Sex; Sex Factors; Smoking; Surgery; Surveys and Questionnaires; Systemic diseases; Tumors; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189374

Analysis of saliva is emerging as a promising tool to diagnose and monitor diseases which makes determination of the salivary microbial profile in different scenarios essential. To evaluate the effects of age, periodontal disease, sex, smoking, and medical conditions on the salivary microbial profile. A randomly selected sample of 441 individuals was enrolled (51% women; mean age 48.5±16.8). Participants answered a health questionnaire and underwent an oral examination. Stimulated saliva was collected and the counts of 41 bacteria were determined by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. Elderly participants (> 64 years old) presented a significant increase in 24 out of 41 bacterial species compared to adults (≤ 64 years old). Eubacterium nodatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythia were significantly higher in participants with generalized bone loss compared to without. Males and non-smokers had higher bacteria counts in saliva. Individuals having mental disorders or muscle and joint diseases showed significantly altered microbial profiles whereas small or no differences were found for subjects with high blood pressure, heart disease, previous heart surgery, bowel disease, tumors, or diabetes. Age, periodontal status, sex, smoking, and certain medical conditions namely, mental disorders and muscle and joint diseases, might affect the microbial profile in saliva.