Comparable Tongue Coating Microbiota Profiles From a Simplified Single-Swab Versus Different Sampling Approaches: A Pilot Study.

Tongue coating samples were collected from healthy adults using four different methods, including single and multiple scrapes with sterile swabs or scraper. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to assess microbial diversity, taxonomic composition, and predicted functional profiles. Alpha- and beta-diversity metrics, taxonomic abundance at the genus and species levels, and KEGG-based functional predictions were analyzed. Spatial and structural features of the tongue biofilm were considered to interpret microbial sampling consistency