Dietary behaviors and oral-systemic health in women

Potential Pathogenic and Opportunistic Oral Bacteria in Early Life: The Role of Maternal Factors in a Portuguese Population

In early life, maternal factors are of the utmost relevance for oral microbiome acquisition and maturation. Therefore, our study explored the impact of maternal factors, such as saliva and breastmilk colonization, cardiovascular risk factors (CRF), type of delivery, oral health, and caregiving habits on the prevalence of potential pathogenic and opportunistic oral bacteria in early life. A total of 26 healthy mothers, 23 mothers with CRF, and their 50 children were included and samples (child's oral swabs, mother's saliva, and breastmilk) were collected 4 to 12 weeks after delivery and inoculated in selective and differential media for detection of non-fastidious Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to isolate potential pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria identified by MALDI-TOF MS (414 isolates). Within mother-child dyads, the same species were identified in 86% of the pairs and potential pathogenic microorganisms from the Staphylococcaceae and Enterobacteriaceae families were found to be statistically significantly concordant between mother-child samples, particularly in the healthy group. Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia oral colonization in mother-child pairs were associated with the presence of CRF. Breastfeeding was related to the early life oral colonization of Staphylococcus epidermidis in children from healthy mothers and C-section was associated with higher diversity of pathogens, independent of cardiovascular status (p = 0.05). This study reveals the presence of potential oral opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria in early life and highlights the importance of maternal factors in its acquisition.

The perceived association of oral diseases and general pathology among doctors of different specialties

This study aimed to highlight the perceived associations between general and oral pathology, among clinicians of different specialties. Data was collected through a questionnaire with 22 questions, with single or multiple answers, to 88 dentists, general practitioners, or pediatricians. The majority of participants were women (89.8%), aged between 30 and 39 years (52.3%), with a professional experience mostly under 10 years (61.3%). Many doctors considered that there was an association between oral and general pathologies (39.8%). The most common general pathologies associated with oral pathology were digestive disorders (n=21, 23.9%), followed by cardiovascular, genetic, endocrine and metabolic, neuropsychiatric, respiratory, hematological, immunological, and oncological pathologies. Tooth decay was mainly found in patients with digestive, respiratory, or neuropsychiatric disorders, and periodontal disease was more common in patients with obstetric disorders. Diseases of the oral mucosa, such as canker sores and gingivostomatitis, were more common in patients with digestive pathology, endocrine and metabolic, or reproductive disorders. The study pointed out that physicians, regardless of their medical training, often observed a relatively rich general pathology associated with oral conditions. It is important to differentiate between primary and secondary oral pathology, associated with general pathology and medication, establishing a correct diagnosis of the disease and treatment according to general or oral diseases and their manifestations.