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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Salivary microbial profiles in 5-year old children with oral clefts: a comparative study
A L Sundell1, C Ullbro2, G Dahlén3
1Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education, P.O. Box 1030, SE-551 11, Jönköping, Sweden. annalena.sundell@rjl.se.
Aim:
To compare the salivary microbial profile in children with oral clefts to matched non-cleft controls in a cross-sectional study.
Methods:
The cleft group consisted of 80 children aged 5 years and 144 age-matched non-cleft children were recruited as a control group. Stimulated whole saliva samples were collected and analysed with checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridisation using 12 pre-determined bacterial probes. Background data on caries, oral hygiene, dietary habits and fluoride exposure were collected from clinical examinations and questionnaires.
Results:
Children in the cleft group had a significantly higher prevalence of dental caries but only minor differences in the salivary microbial profile were found. In general, the cleft-children displayed a lower prevalence of common commensal species (e.g. Streptococcus, Fusobacterium) when compared with the non-cleft controls. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05) but the clinical significance was unclear.
Conclusions:
The profile of the salivary microflora in 5-year-old children with and without oral clefts was basically similar and displayed only marginal differences with respect to commensal bacteria.
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