Microbial Diversity and Community Analysis of Dental Plaques in Orthodontic Patients Wearing Invisible Appliances and Fixed Appliances

  Objective  To explore the microbial diversity and community structure of dental plaques in orthodontic patients with invisible appliances and fixed appliances and to study the differences.

  Methods  Ten orthodontic patients wearing invisible appliances (I) and ten wearing fixed appliances (F) were recruited. Dental plaques were collected from both buccal (B) and lingual (L) sides. Based on 16S rDNA, 40 dental plaque samples were analyzed after Illumina sequencing.

  Results  The microbial diversity, abundance and evenness of the FB group were significantly higher than those of the IB and IL groups (P<0.05), while the FL group showed substantial individual differences. The community structures were generally similar among the four groups, but significant differences in the relative abundance of some bacteria were found. The IB group showed higher abundances of Actinomycetes and Rosella (P<0.05), which were considered to be involved in dental caries and periodontal diseases. Some key communities showing significant differences were significantly enriched in the FB group, including Coprobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterobacterium, Lactobacillus, etc..

  Conclusion  Dental plaques in patients wearing invisible appliances and fixed appliances showed significantly different microbial abundance, diversity and composition, which may be involved in orthodontic complications such as dental caries and periodontal diseases. Orthodontic patients need strengthened measures for oral hygiene maintenance, no matter what kind of appliances they wear.