Table_1_From Mouth to Brain: Distinct Supragingival Plaque Microbiota Composition in Cerebral Palsy Children With Caries.xlsx

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) present a higher prevalence and severity of caries. Although researchers have studied multiple risk factors for caries in CP, the role of microorganisms in caries remains one of the critical factors worth exploring. In order to explore the differences in the supragingival plaque microbiota (SPM), supragingival plaque samples were collected from 55 CP children and 23 non-CP children for 16S rRNA sequencing. Distinct SPM composition was found between CP children with severe caries (CPCS) and non-CP children with severe caries (NCPCS). Further subanalysis was also done to identify if there were any differences in SPM among CP children with different degrees of caries, namely, caries-free (CPCF), mild to moderate caries (CPCM), and severe caries (CPCS). After selecting the top 15 most abundant species in all groups, we found that CPCS was significantly enriched for Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, Porphyromonas endodontalis, Catonella morbi, Alloprevotella tannerae, Parvimonas micra, Streptobacillus moniliformis, and Porphyromonas canoris compared to NCPCS. By comparing CPCF, CPCM, and CPCS, we found that the core caries-associated microbiota in CP children included Prevotella, Alloprevotella, Actinomyces, Catonella, and Streptobacillus, while Capnocytophaga and Campylobacter were dental health-associated microbiota in CP children. Alpha diversity analysis showed no significant difference between NCPCS and CPCS, but the latter had a much simpler core correlation network than that of NCPCS. Among CP children, CPCM and CPCF displayed lower bacterial diversity and simpler correlation networks than those of CPCS. In summary, the study showed the specific SPM characteristics of CPCS compared to NCPCS and revealed the core SPM in CP children with different severities of caries (CPCF, CPCM, and CPCS) and their correlation network. Hopefully, the study would shed light on better caries prevention and therapies for CP children. Findings from the current study offer exciting insights that warrant larger cohort studies inclusive of saliva and feces samples to investigate the potential pathogenic role of oral microbiota through the oral–gut–brain axis in CP children with caries.

脑瘫（cerebral palsy, CP）儿童的龋病患病率与严重程度均更高。尽管学界已针对CP患儿龋病的多项危险因素展开研究，但微生物在龋病发生中的作用仍是值得深入探索的关键因素之一。
为探究龈上菌斑微生物群（supragingival plaque microbiota, SPM）的组成差异，本研究从55名CP儿童与23名非脑瘫儿童体内采集龈上菌斑样本，开展16S rRNA测序。研究发现，重度龋病脑瘫儿童（cerebral palsy children with severe caries, CPCS）与重度龋病非脑瘫儿童（non-cerebral palsy children with severe caries, NCPCS）的SPM组成存在显著差异。
本研究还开展了进一步亚组分析，以明确不同龋病严重程度的CP儿童之间的SPM是否存在差异，即无龋脑瘫儿童（cerebral palsy children without caries, CPCF）、轻中度龋病脑瘫儿童（cerebral palsy children with mild to moderate caries, CPCM）及重度龋病脑瘫儿童（CPCS）。
在筛选出所有组别中丰度排名前15的菌种后，我们发现，相较于NCPCS，CPCS组显著富集了具核梭杆菌（Fusobacterium nucleatum）、中间普雷沃菌（Prevotella intermedia）、直形弯曲菌（Campylobacter rectus）、牙髓卟啉单胞菌（Porphyromonas endodontalis）、莫氏卡顿菌（Catonella morbi）、单宁酸全普雷沃菌（Alloprevotella tannerae）、微小单胞菌（Parvimonas micra）、念珠状链杆菌（Streptobacillus moniliformis）及犬卟啉单胞菌（Porphyromonas canoris）。
通过对比CPCF、CPCM与CPCS组，我们发现，CP儿童中与龋病相关的核心微生物群包括普雷沃菌属（Prevotella）、全普雷沃菌属（Alloprevotella）、放线菌属（Actinomyces）、卡顿菌属（Catonella）及链杆菌属（Streptobacillus）；而嗜二氧化碳噬纤维菌属（Capnocytophaga）与弯曲菌属（Campylobacter）则是CP儿童口腔健康相关的微生物群。
α多样性分析显示，NCPCS与CPCS组的α多样性无显著差异，但CPCS组的核心关联网络远较NCPCS组更为简洁。在CP儿童群体中，CPCM与CPCF组的细菌多样性及关联网络均较CPCS组更低、更简洁。
综上，本研究明确了相较于NCPCS，CPCS组特有的SPM特征，并揭示了不同龋病严重程度的CP儿童（CPCF、CPCM及CPCS）的核心SPM及其关联网络。本研究有望为CP儿童的龋病防治提供新思路。
本研究结果提供了极具价值的研究视角，未来可开展更大规模的队列研究，纳入唾液与粪便样本，通过口腔-肠道-脑轴探究口腔微生物群在龋病脑瘫儿童中的潜在致病作用。