Baima G, Ferrocino I, Del Lupo V et al. Effect of Periodontitis and Periodontal Therapy on Oral and Gut Microbiota. J Dent Res 2024; DOI: 10.1177/00220345231222800.

Periodontal treatment both mitigated oral dysbiosis and altered gut microbial composition.

This study aimed to explore the oral-gut microbial signatures associated with periodontitis. Stool and saliva samples from generalised stage III/IV periodontitis patients (n = 47) were collected and analysed by 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing before and three months after steps I to II of periodontal therapy. Periodontally healthy matched subjects (n = 47) were used as controls. Principal component analysis was carried out to identify oral-gut microbial profiles between periodontitis patients at baseline and healthy subjects; periodontitis samples were longitudinally compared before and after treatment. β-Diversity of gut microbial profiles of periodontitis patients before treatment significantly differed from healthy controls. Periodontal therapy was associated with a significant change in gut microbiota, with post-treatment microbial profiles similar to healthy volunteers. A higher abundance of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Fusobacterium, and Lachnospiraceae was noted in faecal samples of periodontitis patients at baseline compared to healthy controls. Periodontal therapy led to a parallel reduction in the salivary carriage of periodontal pathobionts, as well as gut Bacteroides, Lachnoclostridium, Lachnospiraceae, Oscillospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae, to levels similar to healthy controls.