Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Deep sequencing reveals specific bacterial signatures in the subgingival microbiota of healthy subjects
Eri Ikeda1, Takahiko Shiba1, Yuichi Ikeda1
1Department of Periodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
Objectives:
This study aimed to define the comprehensive bacterial flora of the healthy oral cavity by identifying and comparing bacterial species in different subgingival sites using 454 sequencing of 16S rRNA genes.
Materials And Methods:
Subgingival plaque samples were taken from six target teeth (central incisor, first premolar, and first molar in both the maxilla and mandible) of 10 periodontally healthy patients. Bacterial DNA was extracted and next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was performed.
Results:
Bacterial composition in phylum level was similar for all sites within the same individual irrespective of tooth location. Unweighted UniFrac distance values of microbiome also showed that average distance was significantly larger between subjects than between tooth locations of the same subjects.
Conclusions:
The present results clarify the lack of effect of tooth location in the healthy subgingival microbiota. Results may suggest that any subgingival site can demonstrate similar subject-specific microbiota.
Clinical Relevance:
This investigation offers a better understanding of the uniqueness of the oral microbiome. The present study will facilitate sampling in future subgingival microbiological studies.
Related Concept Videos
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Bacterial Transformation
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Cable Subjected to Its Own Weight
A generalized loading function is employed to analyze a cable subjected to its own weight. This function considers the force acting along the cable's arc length rather than its projected length, providing a more accurate...
Bacterial Signaling
Bacterial RNA Polymerase
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...

