Title
Analysis of oral microbiota diversity in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment
Authors
Vinit Kumar Singh¹,*, Clayrinda Konjengbam², Mohammad Ullah Khan³, Arti Gachake4 & Aashi Jain5
Affiliation
1Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial orthopaedics, Vananchal Dental College, Farhatiya, Jharkhand, India; 2Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Pacific Dental College & Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India; 3Department of Orthodontist, Tobal Dental Clinic, Buraidah, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Prosthodontics and crown and bridge, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be university) dental college and hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India; 5Department of Root's, Dentistree Dental clinic, General dental surgeon and private practitioner, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India; *Corresponding author
Vinit Kumar Singh- E-mail: drvinit.singh@gmail.com
Clayrinda Konjengbam- E-mail: clayrindakonjengbam@gmail.com
Mohammad Ullah Khan- E-mail: dr.mkhan1987@hotmail.com
Arti Gachake - E-mail: gachake@bharatividyapeeth.edu
Aashi Jain - E-mail: draashij10@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received July 1, 2026; Revised July 31, 2026; Accepted July 31, 2026, Published July 31, 2026
Abstract
Limited longitudinal evidence exists on oral microbiological changes during fixed orthodontic treatment and their clinical significance. This prospective study evaluated 90 patients aged 13–28 years using clinical periodontal assessment and 16S rRNA sequencing of saliva and supragingival plaque at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Plaque microbiota showed significantly increased alpha diversity and greater abundance of anaerobic genera including Actinomyces, Veillonella, Prevotella, Fusobacterium and Leptotrichia (p < 0.001). Beta-diversity analysis confirmed significant microbial community shifts over time (PERMANOVA p = 0.002), and plaque index independently predicted dysbiosis at 6 months (β = 0.39, p = 0.004). Thus, data shows that fixed orthodontic therapy promoted progressive oral microbial dysbiosis, supporting early microbiological monitoring and reinforced plaque-control measures during treatment.
Keywords
Oral microbiota, orthodontic treatment, fixed appliances, 16S rRNA sequencing, dental plaque, microbial diversity, dysbiosis
Citation
Singh et al. Bioinformation 22(7): 4128-4133 (2026)
Edited by
Hiroj Bagde
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
