Saliva microbiomes distinguish caries-sensitive from healthy human-populations

By combining organism-based and whole-genome-based deep-sequencing technologies, we report the most in-depth, comprehensive and collaborated view to-date of the saliva microbiomes in pilot-populations of both 19 caries-sensitive and 26 healthy human hosts. We found that firstly, saliva microbiomes in human population was featured by a vast phylogenetic diversity yet shared a minimal organismal core; secondly, few caries-specific OTUs were found, although caries microbiomes are significantly more diverse in community structure while the healthy ones are relatively conserved; thirdly, abundance changes of groups such as Prevotella distinguish caries microbiota from healthy ones.