Microbial diversity in the oral cavity of healthy Chinese Han children

This study aimed to identify the oral microbial diversity of healthy Chinese Han children.

Dental plaques were sampled from the oral cavity of ten healthy Chinese Han children. The oral microbiome was examined using the 16S rRNA-based Human Oral Microbe Identification Microarray. The microbial diversity and similarity were analyzed using the Chao-Jaccard similarity index.

A total of 112 species, which belonged to nine bacterial phyla and 41 genera, were detected. Each individual harbored an average of 54.1 microbial species (ranging from 37 to 69) and 26.2 genera (ranging from 21 to 31), with interindividual variations both at the species and genus level. Thirteen genera were conserved among all individuals. The Chao-Jaccard similarity index averages, at the genus and species level, were 0.642 (ranging from 0.485 to 0.871) and 0.506 (ranging from 0.338 to 0.676), respectively, suggesting that the healthy oral community was more conserved at the genus level than at the species level.

Although there was interindividual variation in the oral microflora, some bacterial genera were conserved among individuals, supporting the existence of a core microbiome in the oral cavity of healthy Chinese Han children.