AimThe oral microenvironment contributes to microbial composition and immune equilibrium. It is considered to be influenced by dietary habits. Phenylketonuria (PKU) patients, who follow a lifelong low‐protein diet, exhibit higher prevalence of oral diseases such as periodontitis, offering a suitable model to explore the interplay between diet, oral microbiota and oral health.Materials and MethodsWe conducted 16S rDNA sequencing on saliva and subgingival plaque from 109 PKU patients (ages 6–68 years) and 114 age‐matched controls and correlated oral microbial composition and dental health.ResultsPKU patients exhibited worse dental health, reduced oral microbial diversity and a difference in the abundance of specific taxa, especially Actinobacteriota species, compared to controls. PKU patients with poor periodontal health exhibited higher alpha diversity than the orally healthy ones, marked by high abundance of the genus Tannerella. Notably, the observed taxonomic differences in PKU patients with normal indices of decayed/missing/filled teeth, plaque control record, gingival bleeding index and periodontal screening and recording index generally differed from microbial signatures of periodontitis.ConclusionsPKU patients' reduced microbial diversity may be due to their diet's metabolic challenges disrupting microbial and immune balance, thus increasing oral inflammation. Higher alpha diversity in PKU patients with oral inflammation is likely related to expanded microbial niches.

中文翻译：

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苯丙酮尿症患者的口腔微生物群：一项全国性横断面研究


目的口腔微环境有助于微生物组成和免疫平衡。认为是受饮食习惯的影响。终生遵循低蛋白饮食的苯丙酮尿​​症 (PKU) 患者表现出较高的牙周炎等口腔疾病患病率，为探索饮食、口腔微生物群和口腔健康之间的相互作用提供了合适的模型。材料和方法我们对以下对象进行了 16S rDNA 测序研究人员对 109 名 PKU 患者（年龄 6-68 岁）和 114 名年龄匹配对照者的唾液和龈下菌斑进行了分析，并将口腔微生物组成与牙齿健康相关。结果 PKU 患者的牙齿健康状况较差，口腔微生物多样性降低，特定类群丰度存在差异，特别是放线菌属物种，与对照相比。牙周健康状况不佳的 PKU 患者比口腔健康患者表现出更高的 α 多样性，其特点是坦纳氏菌属丰度较高。值得注意的是，在蛀牙/缺失/补牙、牙菌斑控制记录、牙龈出血指数以及牙周筛查和记录指数正常的 PKU 患者中观察到的分类学差异通常与牙周炎的微生物特征不同。 结论 PKU 患者微生物多样性降低可能是由于他们的饮食代谢挑战破坏了微生物和免疫平衡，从而增加了口腔炎症。患有口腔炎症的 PKU 患者较高的 α 多样性可能与微生物生态位的扩大有关。