ArticleNature communications2018
A spatial gradient of bacterial diversity in the human oral cavity shaped by salivary flow.
Article in Nature communications, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
73 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 117 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of the oral microbiota as screening test to identify children at risk for caries development. A systematic review of longitudinal studies.European journal of oral sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Trial
- No differences in microbiome changes between anti-adhesive and antibacterial ingredients in toothpastes during periodontal therapy.Journal of periodontal research · 2019Trial
- Paired oral clinical specimens reveal the underlying ecology supporting the emergence of inflammophilic microbiome communities.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Multi-modality profiling identifies Neisseria flavescens as a central geroprotective oral commensal in humans.Nature aging · 2026Article
- The Oral Microbiome of King Richard III of England.American journal of biological anthropology · 2026Article
- The Oral and Nasal Gateway Microbiomes: Salivaomics and Systemic Health at the Airway-Digestive Interface.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Comparison of oral collection methods for 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Interrogation of imaging-based interspecies dynamics in the oral microbiome.Journal of oral microbiology · 2026Review
- Oral microbiome dysbiosis in autism spectrum disorder: the oral-gut-brain axis and future perspectives: a narrative review.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Examining Oral Microbial Communities at the Gingival Interface During Health and Inflammatory Diseases.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- MNetClass: a control-free microbial network clustering framework for identifying central subcommunities across ecological niches.mSystems · 2025Article
- Bacterial evolution in the oral microbiome: the role of conjugative elements and horizontal gene transfer.Journal of bacteriology · 2025Review
- Article
- Microbial signatures in oral sites of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome: Association with salivary gland hypofunction.Journal of microbiology (Seoul, Korea) · 2025Article
- Structure and composition of early biofilms formed on dental implants are complex, diverse, subject-specific and dynamic.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2024Article
- From Global to Nano: A Geographical Perspective ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Single-cell and spatially resolved interactomics of tooth-associated keratinocytes in periodontitis.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Oral microbiota in aging and diseases.Life medicine · 2024Review
- Inferring diet, disease and antibiotic resistance from ancient human oral microbiomes.Microbial genomics · 2024Review
13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Spatial and temporal patterns in microbial communities provide insights into the forces that shape them, their functions and roles in health and disease. Here, we used spatial and ecological statistics to analyze the role that saliva plays in structuring bacterial communities of the human mouth using >9000 dental and mucosal samples. We show that regardless of tissue type (teeth, alveolar mucosa, keratinized gingiva, or buccal mucosa), surface-associated bacterial communities vary along an ecological gradient from the front to the back of the mouth, and that on exposed tooth surfaces, the gradient is pronounced on lingual compared to buccal surfaces. Furthermore, our data suggest that this gradient is attenuated in individuals with low salivary flow due to Sjögren's syndrome. Taken together, our findings imply that salivary flow influences the spatial organization of microbial communities and that biogeographical patterns may be useful for understanding host physiological processes and for predicting disease.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.