Temporal stability of tongue microbiota in older patients - A pilot study.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Healthy states of human microbiota depend on a stable community of symbiotic microbes irrespective of external challenges from the environment. Thus, long-term stability of the oral microbiota is of importance, particularly for older patient populations.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to examine the tongue microbiota of 18 individuals receiving long-term care over a 10-month period.

RESULTS

Beta diversity analysis demonstrated temporal stability of the tongue microbiota, as microbial compositions from all time points were indistinguishable from each other (P = 0.0887). However, significant individual variation in microbial composition (P = 0.0001) was observed, underscoring the presence of a unique microbial profile for each patient.

CONCLUSION

The temporal dynamics of tongue microbiota exhibit long-term stability, providing diagnostic implications for oral diseases within older patient populations.