Microbial characteristics of the DMFT index in a high HIV prevalence setting

Oral disease pathogenesis is primarily driven by microbial dysbiosis although diagnosis is routinely macroscopic. To improve early detection especially among HIV patients who are disproportionately affected, there is need to reconcile macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of disease. We used amplicon sequencing data to characterize oral microbiota changes along the decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index.