The Impact of Fluoride Treatment on the Supragingival Plaque Microbiome in Preschoolers: A Dynamic Study

Fluoride treatment is used in numerous researches as a minimally invasive caries prevention technique. Oral microorganisms are particularly important in the incidence and progression of tooth caries. However, the effect of fluoride treatment on the dynamic microbial alterations that occur in dental plaques is still unknown. In this work, we looked at the impact of fluorine treatment on supragingival microbial composition and structure in preschoolers. We enrolled 27 preschoolers and collected supragingival plaque samples at the same places throughout treatment, including treatment at 0 hours (baseline, F0 group), after 24 hours (F1 group), 1 month (F2 group), 3 months (F3 group), and 6 months (F4 group). To unravel the changes in microbial composition and structure in supragingival plaque after fluoride treatment, all specimens underwent high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The Shannon and Simpson indices showed no significant differences in any group (P > 0.05). PCoA analysis showed substantial differences in microbial community architectures across all group intervals (P < 0.001), with similarities between baseline and 24-hour mark. Significant variations in bacterial composition were observed among eight strains, including Neisseria mucosa and Corynebacterium matruchotii (P < 0.05). This study found that Duraphat fluoride treatment effectively modifies the composition and structure characteristics of supragingival plaque in preschoolers, promoting anti-caries properties.