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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
10:42

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children

Published on: December 31, 2017

Signatures of the maternal-infant oral microbiome in contexts of imprisonment and social vulnerability

Ninfa Ramírez-Durán1, Gauddy Lizeth Manzanares-Leal1

  • 1Laboratorio de Investigación en Microbiología Médica y Ambiental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Estado de México, México.

Frontiers in Dental Medicine
|June 29, 2026
PubMed

Insights

This study explored the oral microbiome in mothers, children, and pregnant women in prisons, finding distinct microbial signatures influenced by confinement. Children had lower diversity, highlighting the impact of living conditions on oral health in vulnerable populations.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Human Health
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • The oral microbiome is crucial for oral and systemic health, developing from early life.
  • Socially vulnerable settings like prisons may alter the pediatric oral microbiome due to unique living conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize oral microbiome signatures in mothers, children, and pregnant women residing in prisons.
  • To investigate how confinement-related living conditions influence microbial variations within this population.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study analyzed 43 maternal-child samples from five prisons in the State of Mexico.
  • 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to evaluate the taxonomic composition of saliva and oral biofilm samples.
  • Analyses included alpha and beta diversity (Shannon index, weighted UniFrac) and differential abundance (DESeq2).

Main Results:

  • A core microbiome dominated by *Streptococcus* and *Veillonella* was found across all groups.
  • Children showed the lowest diversity, with high *Streptococcus* dominance (58%).
  • Mothers had increased opportunistic taxa (*Pseudomonas*, *Raoultella*), while pregnant women exhibited higher diversity with *Actinomyces* and *Leptotrichia* enrichment.

Conclusions:

  • Prison environments shape distinct oral microbiome profiles in mothers, children, and pregnant women.
  • Reduced microbial diversity in children suggests confinement impacts early oral health development.
  • Findings emphasize the need to consider prison-specific conditions for oral health strategies in marginalized populations.
Abstract

Keywords:
16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencingmaternal and child healthoral microbiomesocial determinants of healthvulnerable populations

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