Association between Live Dietary Microbes and Root Caries: A Cross-Sectional Study with a Predictive Risk Model.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between medium‑to‑high (MedHi) levels of live dietary microbe intake and the prevalence of root caries, and to develop a predictive model for estimating root caries risk.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: This cross‑sectional study analysed data from participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2020. Dietary intake was assessed using 24‑h dietary recalls, and root caries status was determined via standardised oral examinations. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with root caries, including live dietary microbe intake. Participants were randomly divided into training and testing data sets. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to construct a predictive model, which was visualised using a nomogram and evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration plots.

RESULTS

Among 7,839 participants, MedHi live dietary microbe intake, age, education level, smoking status, dental floss frequency, and systemic conditions were significantly associated with root caries (P 0.05). The predictive model incorporating these variables demonstrated good discrimination and calibration in both the training and testing data sets.

CONCLUSION

Higher intake of live dietary microbes was associated with a lower prevalence of root caries. Although the cross‑sectional design precludes causal inference, the findings suggest a potential link between dietary microbes and oral health. The proposed model may aid clinicians in identifying individuals at high risk and in developing targeted preventive strategies.