Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with cellular abnormalities, tissue and organ dysfunctions, and periodontitis. This investigation examined the relationship between the oral microbiome and salivary biomarkers in T2DM patients with or without periodontitis. This cohort (35–80 years) included systemically healthy non-periodontitis (NP; n = 31), T2DM without periodontitis (DWoP; n = 32) and T2DM with periodontitis (DWP; n = 29). The oral microbiome [Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs)] (16s rRNA sequencing) and targeted host salivary biomarkers (immunoassays) were assessed. We identified 47 OTUs that were significantly different in abundance between NP samples and any disease subset or between disease subgroups. The most unique microbiome patterns were observed in the DWP group. Differences in genera/species abundance were also observed when T2DM patients were stratified by extent of periodontal inflammation and disease (i.e., generalized versus localized gingivitis/periodontitis). Salivary biomarkers showed significant elevations in MMP-8, MMP-9, resistin, IL-1β, IL-6, IFNα, and BAFF (THFSR13b) comparing generalized to localized periodontitis. Salivary analytes showed significant positive correlations with specific microbiome members, predominantly in DWP patients. Odds ratio analyses reinforced that a panel of biologic markers (IL-6, MMP-8) and bacteria (e.g., Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Spirochaetes) discriminated the severity and extent of periodontal disease in this diabetic population.