Analysis of salivary metabolites and microbial characteristics in patients with dental fluorosis

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize specific alterations in the salivary microbiome and metabolome associated with dental fluorosis (DF), using dental caries (DC) as a comparative pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multi-omics analysis was performed on saliva samples from 99 individuals with DF, 100 with DC, and 100 healthy controls (HC). Lipidomic profiling and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were integrated, and the resulting datasets were analyzed using multivariate statistical approaches and correlation analyses. RESULTS: Clear separation was observed in both the molecular and microbial profiles of saliva among the DF, DC, and HC groups. The DF group showed significantly higher levels of LPA (18:4) and 15-oxoETE, along with enrichment of Enterobacter, Alloprevotella, Leptotrichia, Aggregatibacter, Klebsiella, Selenomonas, Peptostreptococcus, Peptostreptococcaceae_[XI][G-5], Actinomyces graevenitzii, Prevotella pallens, Leptotrichia buccalis, Desulfobulbus sp._HMT_041, Prevotella intermedia, Ruminococcaceae_[G-1] bacterium_HMT_075, and Peptostreptococcus stomatis. However, the core microbial taxa and the identified differential metabolites showed only weak correlations. CONCLUSIONS: The salivary microbiome and lipidomic profiles in individuals with DF differed significantly from those observed in both caries patients and healthy controls. The core microbial taxa and differential metabolites identified in the DF group were associated with various systemic diseases and inflammatory processes, respectively. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The salivary multi-omics signatures identified in this study provide new insights into the potential long-term health risks associated with dental fluorosis.