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. 2023 Jul;50(7):921-931.
doi: 10.1111/jcpe.13819. Epub 2023 Apr 13.

Subgingival microbial diversity and respiratory decline: A cross-sectional study

Lewis Winning  1 , Gary Moran  1 , Mary McClory  2 , Ikhlas El Karim  2 , Fionnuala T Lundy  2 , Christopher C Patterson  3 , Dermot Linden  2 , Kathy M Cullen  4 , Frank Kee  3 , Gerard J Linden  3
Affiliations

Subgingival microbial diversity and respiratory decline: A cross-sectional study

Lewis Winning et al. J Clin Periodontol. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Aim: To investigate whether there is an association between subgingival microbial diversity and reduced respiratory function.

Materials and methods: A group of dentate 58-72-year-old men in Northern Ireland had a comprehensive periodontal examination including subgingival plaque sampling. DNA was extracted from plaque samples and the V1-V3 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were analysed by high-throughput sequencing and a microbial diversity index (MDI) was derived. Spirometry measurements were made using a wedge bellows spirometer. The primary outcome variable of interest was the percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (% predicted FEV1 ). Analysis included multiple linear regression with adjustment for various confounders.

Results: Five-hundred and seven men were included in the analysis. The mean age was 63.6 years (SD = 3.1). Of these, 304 (60.0%) men had no or mild periodontitis, 105 (20.7%) had moderate periodontitis and 98 (19.3%) had severe periodontitis. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a one unit increase in MDI was associated with a 0.71% loss (95% confidence interval: 0.06%-1.35%; p = .03) in % predicted FEV1 after adjustment for all confounders.

Conclusions: In this group of dentate men from Northern Ireland, subgingival microbial diversity was associated with reduced respiratory function.

Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; periodontitis; respiratory function; subgingival microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Recruitment and enrolment of study participants.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Phyloseq taxa distribution family‐level plot by periodontitis status.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Results of DeSeq2 analysis comparing species abundance in samples from participants with mild or no periodontitis with samples from patients with severe periodontitis (p adj < .01).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Boxplot depicting microbial diversity index (MDI) by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Periodontology (CDC/AAP) periodontitis status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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