Does high sugar intake really alter the oral microbiota?: A systematic review

Abstract

Objectives: Diet is one of the main factors influencing the diversity and interactions of the oral microbiota. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of sugar intake on the microbial diversity and bacteria that predominate under these conditions.Material and Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guide, using the PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases and combinations of the words "microbiota," "microbiology," "bacteria," "sugars," "dysbiosis," "caries," "microbiome," "oral microbial," and "oral microbiota profile pattern." The selection criteria included year, language, type of publication, comparison of microbiota during low and high sugar intake, and bacterial identification by molecular sequencing of the 16S subunit of ribosomal RNA.Results: Out of a total of 374 papers that came up after the initial search, 8 met the criteria for this review. The papers included research on populations comprising children, young adults, and adults, with most of the studies reporting selection criteria for the participants and using validated instruments to determine sugar intake. Apart from one study, all others reported for high sugar intake conditions a significant decrease in microbial diversity of the oral microbiome and the predominance of several bacterial genera or species, including Streptococcus, Scardovia, Veillonella, Rothia, Actinomyces, and Lactobacillus.Conclusions: Sugar-rich diets have a significantly unfavorable effect on the diversity and balance of oral microbiota; however, further studies are required to determine the exact role of sugar in microbial interactions.

Short-term sugar stress induces compositional changes and loss of diversity of the supragingival microbiota

“…This finding is in accordance with the ecological plaque hypothesis [ 15 ], in which frequent sugar consumption is considered the critical external perturbation, as this promotes favorable living conditions for aciduric and acidogenic species at expense of health-associated species, thereby leading to loss of diversity and potentially to the development of dental caries [ 16 , 17 ]. The finding is further supported by previous studies comparing individuals with different levels of sugar intake, which also found significantly lower diversity among individuals with a high sugar intake [ 6 ]. Interestingly, cross-sectional data have previously shown that samples from surfaces with dental caries are characterized by lower diversity compared to samples from healthy supragingival sites [ 18 ].…”

“…Accordingly, cross-sectional data show that the salivary microbiota differs significantly in individuals with different levels of sugar intake [ 5 ]. The supragingival microbiota in individuals with a high sugar intake is characterized by less diversity and a higher abundance of Actinomyces , Rothia, Lactobacillus, Veillonella , and Streptococcus species compared to individuals with a low sugar intake [ 5 , 6 ]. Previous data highlight that the acidogenic and aciduric members of the oral microbiota thrive when the oral ecosystem is exposed to carbohydrates, but interventional studies are needed to reveal the direct impact of frequent sugar intake on the oral ecosystem.…”

Standardization of the protocol for oral cavity examination and collecting of the biological samples for microbiome research using the next-generation sequencing (NGS): own experience with the COVID-19 patients

“…A diet is one of the factors affecting the diversity and interactions of the oral microbiota 45 . It has been proved that the diet is a factor which modifies e.g.…”

Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies a Functional Guild and Metabolite Cluster Mediating the Relationship between Mucosal Inflammation and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Ulcerative Colitis

“…There is growing evidence of a link between oral dysbiosis and disease, namely periodontitis and IBD [ 48 , 49 ], with many oral commensals detected in the lower GI tract in IBD [ 48 ]. Moreover, many of these bacteria are opportunistic pathogens and sugar-rich diets fuel oral dysbiosis and the emergence of pathogens [ 50 , 51 ]. Interestingly, the black module showed a trend towards a negative association with MDS and a positive association with FCP but did not reach statistical significance.…”