Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing study of subgingival microbiota of healthy subjects and patients with periodontitis from four different countries

Aim: To investigate the differences between the subgingival microbiota of healthy subjects (HS) and periodontitis patients (PP) from four different countries through a metagenomic approach. Materials and Methods: Subgingival samples were obtained from subjects from four different countries. Microbial composition was analysed through high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The country of origin, diagnosis and clinical and demographic variables of the subjects were used to analyse the microbial profiles. Results: In total, 506 subgingival samples were analysed: 196 from HS and 310 from patients with periodontitis. Differences in richness, diversity and microbial composition were observed when comparing samples pertaining to different countries of origin and different subject diagnoses. Clinical variables, such as bleeding on probing, did not significantly affect the bacterial composition of the samples. A highly conserved core of microbiota associated with periodontitis was detected, while the microbiota associated with periodontally HS was much more diverse. Conclusions: Periodontal diagnosis of the subjects was the main variable explaining the composition of the microbiota in the subgingival niche. Nevertheless, the country of origin also had a significant impact on the microbiota and is therefore an important factor to consider when describing subgingival bacterial communities.