Oral microbiomes vary in cariogenic potential; these differences may be established early in life. A major concern is whether mothers transmit cariogenic bacteria to their children
A study published in Journal of Dental Research has revealed that though there was little evidence supporting transmission of selected microbes from mothers to children, but risk of colonization was associated with tooth emergence.
Oral microbiomes vary in cariogenic potential; these differences may be established early in life. A major concern is whether mothers transmit cariogenic bacteria to their children.
Hence, K. Ramadugu and colleagues from the School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA conducted the present study to characterize early salivary microbiome development and the potential associations of that development with route of delivery, breastfeeding, and mother's oral health, and also evaluated the transmission of microbes between mother and child.
The authors analyzed saliva and metadata from the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia. For this cohort study, they sequenced the V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene and used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Candida albicans in the saliva from mothers and their infants and collected them at 2, 9, and 12 months (Pennsylvania site) and 2, 12, and 24 months(West Virginia site).
The results showed that breastfed children had lower relative abundances of Prevotella and Veillonella. If mothers had decayed, missing, or filled teeth, children had greater abundances of Veillonella and Actinomyces. There was little evidence of maternal transmission of selected microbes.
However, at 12 months children's microbiomes were more similar to other children's than to their mothers'. Infants' salivary microbiomes became more adult-like with age but still differed with mothers' microbiomes at 12 mo. There was little evidence supporting transmission of selected microbes from mothers to children, but risk of colonization was associated with tooth emergence.
The authors concluded that multiple environmental factors are responsible for the establishment of the salivary microbiome in infancy. Children likely acquire cariogenic bacteria from a variety of sources, including foods and other people, rather than from direct maternal transmission.