@article{CHEN2026, 
author = {Ming CHEN and Kaiyu ZHONG and Hongying HU and Meng YOU},
title = {Age-related variations in the oral microbiome revealed by a large population-based study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey},
year = {2026},
journal = {Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases},
volume = {34},
number = {2},
pages = {156-167},
keywords = {oral microbiome, National Health and Nutrition Survey, microbial diversity, human microbiome, abundance of bacteria, age factor, confounding factors, 16S rRNA, epidemiological study},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.12016/j.issn.2096-1456.202550484},
doi = {10.12016/j.issn.2096-1456.202550484},
abstract = {ObjectiveTo explore the characteristics of the diversity and composition of oral microbial flora with age, and to provide a reference for understanding the succession of oral microecology at different ages.MethodsOral rinse 16S rRNA (V4 region) sequencing data from 9021 participants 14-69 years of age in the 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed. Alpha diversity (Observed OTUs, Faith’s PD, Shannon Index), beta diversity (Bray-Curtis and UniFrac), and genus-level composition were examined using weighted generalized linear models (GLMs), including quadratic terms for age and adjusting for key covariates (gender, race/ethnicity, BMI, smoking status, and periodontitis severity).ResultsAlpha diversity demonstrated a clear inverted U-shaped trajectory across age, peaking at 25-30 years old and declining thereafter. This trend remained consistent across sex, race, smoking, and periodontal health strata. Beta diversity analyses revealed a modest but steady age-related shift in community structure. Genus-level analyses revealed that Rothia, Prevotella_6, and Lactobacillus increased steadily with age, while Haemophilus, Porphyromonas, and Corynebacterium declined significantly. Notably, potential periodontopathogens, such as Fusobacterium and Treponema_2, peaked in early adulthood before declining with age.ConclusionAge is an important driver of oral microbial succession, and the oral microbiome exhibits dynamic changes across different life stages. Future longitudinal and multi-omic studies are warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these age-related trajectories.}
}