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Updated: Dec 23, 2025
Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
The microbial abundance dynamics of the paediatric oral cavity before and after sleep
Jessica A P Carlson-Jones1,2,3, Anna Kontos1,2, Declan Kennedy1,2
1Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
Insights
The oral microbiome
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Oral Health
- Microbial Ecology
Background:
- Oral microhabitats exhibit distinct microbial taxonomies.
- Understanding bacterial and viral abundance variations across oral sites is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of microbial abundances in six oral microhabitats.
- To compare microbial abundances before and after sleep in healthy children.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry was employed to quantify bacterial and virus-like particle (VLP) abundances.
- Samples were collected from six oral microhabitats in 10 healthy pediatric sleepers before and after sleep.
Main Results:
- Bacterial counts varied significantly, from 7.2 x 10^5 at the palate before sleep to 1.3 x 10^8 at the back of the tongue after sleep (187-fold difference).
- Virus-like particle (VLP) counts ranged from 1.9 x 10^6 at the palate before sleep to 9.2 x 10^7 at the back of the tongue after sleep (48-fold difference).
Conclusions:
- The oral cavity is a dynamic and numerically heterogeneous environment.
- Microbial communities can increase substantially during sleep, highlighting shifts in biomass.
- Quantifying microbial biomass complements taxonomic data for a comprehensive understanding of the oral microbiome.
Abstract:
Objective: Microhabitats in the oral cavity differ in microbial taxonomy. However, abundance variations of bacterial and viral communities within these microhabitats are not fully understood. Aims and Hypothesis: To assess the spatial distribution and dynamics of the microbial abundances within 6 microhabitats of the oral cavity before and after sleep. We hypothesise that the abundance distributions of these microbial communities will differ among oral sites. Methods: Using flow cytometry, bacterial and virus-like particle (VLP) abundances were enumerated for 6 oral microhabitats before and after sleep in 10 healthy paediatric sleepers. Results: Bacterial counts ranged from 7.2 ± 2.8 × 105 at the palate before sleep to 1.3 ± 0.2 × 108 at the back of the tongue after sleep, a difference of 187 times. VLPs ranged from 1.9 ± 1.0 × 106 at the palate before sleep to 9.2 ± 5.0 × 107 at the back of the tongue after sleep, a difference of 48 times. Conclusion: The oral cavity is a dynamic numerically heterogeneous environment where microbial communities can increase by a count of 100 million during sleep. Quantification of the paediatric oral microbiome complements taxonomic diversity information to show how biomass varies and shifts in space and time.
