Reis A A, Monteiro M F, Bonilha G M et al. Parents with periodontitis drive the early acquisition of dysbiotic microbiomes in their offspring. J Clin Periodontol 2023; DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13815. Online ahead of print.

The parents' periodontal status significantly affects the microbiome composition of their offspring from an early age.

The offspring of subjects with periodontitis (Perio group) and the offspring of periodontally healthy subjects (Healthy group), matched for gender and age, were included in this cross-sectional study. The patients were clinically assessed and their saliva collected for DNA extraction. Fifty children of parents with periodontitis and 50 from healthy parents were included and divided according to the dentition phase: pre-dentate (n = 5), primary dentition (n = 15), mixed dentition (n = 15) and permanent dentition (n = 15). Children of the Perio group presented a microbial diversity different from that of the Healthy group in mixed and permanent dentitions. The more intense shift in the community occurred between primary and mixed dentition in the Perio group, while the transition between mixed and permanent dentition was the period with greater changes in the microbiome for the Healthy group.