Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2025
09:19
Capturing Actively Produced Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds from Human-Associated Samples with Vacuum-Assisted Sorbent Extraction
Published on: June 1, 2022
4.0K
Bacterial Volatile Organic Compounds as Potential Caries and Periodontitis Disease Biomarkers
Maisa Haiek1, Vladislav Dvoyris2, Yoav Y Broza3
1Institute of Dental Sciences, Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|May 7, 2025
Summary
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from oral bacteria can distinguish between different dental diseases. This study shows VOC profiling can identify specific bacterial strains and disease types, paving the way for new diagnostic tools.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Analytical Chemistry
- Oral Health
Background:
- Oral diseases like caries and periodontitis pose a significant global health burden.
- Effective diagnostic tools are crucial for managing these conditions.
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by oral bacteria are potential biomarkers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the VOC profiles of bacteria linked to dental caries and periodontal disease.
- To explore the potential of VOCs as diagnostic biomarkers for oral diseases.
- To differentiate between bacterial strains and oral disease phenotypes using VOC analysis.
Main Methods:
- Cultured four key oral microbial strains: *Streptococcus mutans*, *Streptococcus sanguis*, *Porphyromonas gingivalis*, and *Fusobacterium nucleatum*.
- Analyzed headspace VOCs from cultured bacteria (N=24) and intraoral samples (N=60) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
- Applied statistical analyses (Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis tests) and NIST14 database for VOC identification.
Main Results:
- Identified distinct, strain-specific VOC signatures for *P. gingivalis*, *F. nucleatum*, and *Streptococcus* species.
- Observed statistically significant differences in VOC profiles between caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis patient cohorts.
- Demonstrated VOC profiling's ability to differentiate bacterial strains and disease phenotypes.
Conclusions:
- VOC profiling is a promising method for differentiating oral bacterial strains.
- VOC analysis can distinguish between different oral disease phenotypes.
- This research provides a framework for developing VOC-based diagnostic tools for dental pathology.
