Abstract
Aims
To describe associations of gingival bacterial composition and diversity with self-reported gingival bleeding and oral hygiene habits in a Norwegian regional-based population.
Material and methods
We explored gingival fluid microbiome composition (16S amplicon sequencing) in 484 adult participants (47% females, median age, 28 years) in the RHINESSA study in Bergen, Norway. We explored bacterial diversity and abundance differences by Community Periodontal Index (CPI) score, self-reported frequency of gingival bleeding and oral hygiene habits.
Results
Gingival bacterial diversity increased with increasing frequency of self-reported gingival bleeding, with higher Shannon diversity index for 'always' β = 0.51 and 'often' β = 0.75 (p < 0.001) compared to 'never' gingival bleeding. Frequent gingival bleeding was associated with higher abundance of several bacteria, such as Porphyromonas endodontalis, Treponema denticola, and Fretibacterium spp, but lower abundance of bacteria within the gram-positive phyla, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. Flossing and rinsing with mouth wash twice daily was associated with higher total abundance of bacteria in the Proteobacteria phylum, but with lower bacterial diversity compared to those who never flossed or never used mouth wash.
Conclusion
A high frequency of self-reported gingival bleeding was associated with higher bacterial diversity than that found in participants reporting no gingival bleeding, and with higher total abundance of known periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas spp, Treponema spp, and Bacteriodes spp.
