Co-occurrence of yeast, streptococci, dental decay, and gingivitis in the post-partum period: results of a longitudinal study

Kirtana Ramadugu; Freida Blostein; Deesha Bhaumik; Wenwen Jiang; Elyse Davis; Elizabeth Salzman; Usha Srinivasan; Carl F Marrs; Katherine Neiswanger; Daniel W McNeil; Mary L Marazita; Betsy Foxman

doi:10.1080/20002297.2020.1746494

Co-occurrence of yeast, streptococci, dental decay, and gingivitis in the post-partum period: results of a longitudinal study

J Oral Microbiol. 2020 Apr 15;12(1):1746494. doi: 10.1080/20002297.2020.1746494. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Kirtana Ramadugu¹, Freida Blostein¹, Deesha Bhaumik¹, Wenwen Jiang¹, Elyse Davis¹, Elizabeth Salzman¹, Usha Srinivasan¹, Carl F Marrs¹, Katherine Neiswanger^{2

3}, Daniel W McNeil^{3

4}, Mary L Marazita^{2

3

5}, Betsy Foxman^{1

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
³ Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
⁴ Departments of Psychology and Dental Practice & Rural Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
⁵ Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health; and Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Abstract

Objective: The interactions between yeast and streptococci species that lead to dental decay and gingivitis are poorly understood. Our study describes these associations among a cohort of 101 post-partum women enrolled in the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia, 2012-2013. Methods: All eligible women without dental caries were included (n = 21) and the remainder were randomly sampled to represent the total number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) at enrollment. We used amplicon sequencing and qPCR of saliva from 2, 6, 12 and 24 visits to determine microbiome composition. Results: Active decay and generalized gingivitis were strongly predictive of each other. Using adjusted marginal models, Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans combined were associated with active decay (OR = 3.13; 95% CI 1.26, 7.75). However, C. albicans alone (OR = 2.33; 95% CI: 0.81, 6.75) was associated with generalized gingivitis, but S. mutans alone was not (OR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.21, 1.44). Models including microbiome community state types (CSTs) showed CSTs positively associated with active decay were negatively associated with generalized gingivitis. Discussion: C. albicans is associated with active decay and generalized gingivitis, but whether one or both are present depends on the structure of the co-existing microbial community.

Keywords: Dental caries; gingivitis; mitis streptococci; salivary microbiome.

Abstract

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