535 - Surgical and Behavioral Interventions Are Associated with Oral Microbiota Alterations

Purpose: To compare oral microbial profiles of children with early childhood caries (ECC) with low caries risk children and evaluate profile changes after surgical and behavioral interventions.

Methods: Healthy children ages 1-5 years were enrolled in this six-month, longitudinal study. Dental history and clinical exam were used to classify participants as low or high caries risk. High-risk participants were evaluated at baseline, three months later during full-mouth dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia, and at three-month post-operative visit. Low-risk participants were evaluated at baseline and six-month follow-up. At each visit, caregivers completed a questionnaire on health habits and demographics. Plaque samples were obtained at each visit and analyzed using 16s rRNA gene sequencing. All patients received caries risk assessment, preventive counseling, self-management goal setting and fluoride varnish applications at each visit.

Results: Twenty-five high-risk and 35 low-risk children were included. Multidimensional scaling revealed distinct microbial community composition amongst low- and high-risk participants at all timepoints (P < .05) and amongst initial and post-op visits for the high-caries risk group (P < .05). Fractional abundance showed a significant decrease in 4 cariogenic species (S. mutans, P. melaninogenica, P, histicola, S vestibularis) and a significant increase in 5 caries-protective species (A. defective, R. aeria, N. flava group, Tannerella BU063, S. sanguinis) post-operatively. Cariogenic diet scale indicated a significant decrease in diet cariogenicity over time in the high caries risk individuals.

Conclusions: Unique profiles for high and low caries risk subjects were observed with changes in high-risk subjects seen over the six-month follow-up period, highlighting cariogenic microbial community composition shift toward a health-associated composition after restorative treatment and behavioral intervention.