Breastmilk influences the development and composition of the oral microbiome

Human microbiomes assemble in an ordered and reproducible manner yet there is limited information on the colonisation and development of the bacterial communities that constitute the oral microbiome. This is especially true regarding the effect of early childhood diet on the temporal development of the oral microbiome. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of exposure to breastmilk on the assembly of the infant oral microbiome during the first 20 months of life. The oral microbiomes of 39 children, 13 who were never breastfed and 26 who were breastfed for more than 10 months, enrolled in a birth cohort study, were determined at four ages. In total, 519 bacterial taxa were identified and quantified in saliva by sequencing the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. There were significant differences in the temporal development of the oral microbiomes of never breastfed and breastfed infants.