Metabolomics Insights in Early Childhood Caries

Area of Science:

• Oral microbiology
• Biochemistry
• Pediatric dentistry

Background:

• Dental caries involves biofilm dysbiosis, but comprehensive biochemical data is lacking.
• Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a significant public health issue with complex etiology.
• Understanding the oral microbiome's biochemical profile is crucial for ECC prevention and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify biochemical features of supragingival biofilms associated with ECC prevalence and severity using metabolomics.
• To explore the relationship between specific metabolites and clinical ECC traits in young children.
• To develop potential biomarkers for ECC risk assessment and disease activity.

Main Methods:

• Metabolomic analysis of supragingival plaque from 289 children (ages 3-5) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
• Clinical ECC assessment using International Caries Detection and Classification System (ICDAS) criteria.
• Statistical analysis including Brownian distance correlations (dCor), linear regression, and machine learning (TPOT) for metabolite-ECC associations.

Main Results:

• 503 metabolites were identified, including microbial, host, and exogenous compounds.
• Sixteen metabolites significantly associated with ECC after multiple testing correction.
• Fucose and N-acetylneuraminate correlated positively with ECC prevalence, while catechin and epicatechin correlated negatively.

Conclusions:

• Supragingival biofilm metabolomics provides novel insights into ECC biology.
• Identified metabolites like fucose, N-acetylneuraminate, catechin, and epicatechin show potential as biomarkers for ECC activity or risk.
• These findings can inform the development of new diagnostic and preventative strategies for early childhood caries.