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Objectives <p>To characterize the salivary microbiota structure in children with hearing impairment using 16&#xa0;S rRNA gene sequencing and explore its potential association with caries burden.</p> Methods <p>A total of 114 hearing-impaired children aged 6–16 years underwent oral clinical examination and completed a questionnaire. From this cohort, 20 children (HI group) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy children (HS group) were randomly selected for salivary microbiome sequencing. Analyses included alpha and beta diversity, LEfSe, and caries-stratified subgroup comparisons.</p> Results <p>Hearing-impaired children carried a heavy caries burden (overall prevalence: 93.9%; mean DMFT/dmft: 6.4 ± 3.9). Oral hygiene practices were generally suboptimal, with only 54.5% brushing twice daily and 41.6% using fluoride toothpaste. Beta diversity analysis significantly differed between groups (ANOSIM, R² = 0.057, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The HI group exhibited trends of increased Proteobacteria, <i>Neisseria</i>, and <i>Gemella</i> and decreased <i>Veillonella</i> and <i>Capnocytophaga</i> (all <i>P</i> &gt; 0.05). LEFSe analysis revealed richer signature taxa in controls (e.g., <i>Selenomonas</i>, <i>Tannerella</i>), whereas hearing-impaired children showed limited enriched taxa, especially in the low-caries subgroup, indicating microbiota simplification.</p> Conclusions <p>The oral microbiome of hearing-impaired children displays alterations in overall community structure, characterized by reduced diversity of signature microbial taxa and a trend toward ecological simplification.</p> Clinical relevance <p>These findings identify oral microbial trends associated with hearing impairment, providing potential insights for early caries risk assessment and tailored preventive interventions in this vulnerable population.</p>

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Salivary microbiota composition and caries status in children with hearing impairment: a cross-sectional comparative study

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月26日

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  • Bo Peng,
  • Qiong Feng,
  • Shuo Wang,
  • Xuedan Zhao,
  • Ting Sheng,
  • Shaohong Wang,
  • Wei Liu,
  • Weijia Liu,
  • Wenyan Huang,
  • Si Meng,
  • Sujuan Zeng,
  • Rong Lin

摘要

Objectives

To characterize the salivary microbiota structure in children with hearing impairment using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and explore its potential association with caries burden.

Methods

A total of 114 hearing-impaired children aged 6–16 years underwent oral clinical examination and completed a questionnaire. From this cohort, 20 children (HI group) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy children (HS group) were randomly selected for salivary microbiome sequencing. Analyses included alpha and beta diversity, LEfSe, and caries-stratified subgroup comparisons.

Results

Hearing-impaired children carried a heavy caries burden (overall prevalence: 93.9%; mean DMFT/dmft: 6.4 ± 3.9). Oral hygiene practices were generally suboptimal, with only 54.5% brushing twice daily and 41.6% using fluoride toothpaste. Beta diversity analysis significantly differed between groups (ANOSIM, R² = 0.057, P < 0.05). The HI group exhibited trends of increased Proteobacteria, Neisseria, and Gemella and decreased Veillonella and Capnocytophaga (all P > 0.05). LEFSe analysis revealed richer signature taxa in controls (e.g., Selenomonas, Tannerella), whereas hearing-impaired children showed limited enriched taxa, especially in the low-caries subgroup, indicating microbiota simplification.

Conclusions

The oral microbiome of hearing-impaired children displays alterations in overall community structure, characterized by reduced diversity of signature microbial taxa and a trend toward ecological simplification.

Clinical relevance

These findings identify oral microbial trends associated with hearing impairment, providing potential insights for early caries risk assessment and tailored preventive interventions in this vulnerable population.