Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40676575›Full record

ArticleBMC oral health2025

Ensemble learning for microbiome-based caries diagnosis: multi-group modeling and biological interpretation from salivary and plaque metagenomic data.

Fangqiao Wei, Zailong Wu, Guanghui Li, Xiangyu Sun, Xiangru Shi, Lei Tan, Tianxiang Ai, Long Qu, Shuguo Zheng

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Article in BMC oral health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Fangqiao Wei *Department of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, PR China.
Zailong Wu *China Telecom eSurfing Cloud, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PR China.
Guanghui LiChina Telecom eSurfing Cloud, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PR China.
Xiangyu SunDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, PR China.
Xiangru ShiDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, PR China.
Lei TanChina Telecom eSurfing Cloud, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PR China.
Tianxiang AiChina Telecom eSurfing Cloud, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PR China.
Long QuChina Telecom eSurfing Cloud, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PR China. qulong@chinatelecom.cn.
Shuguo ZhengDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, PR China. kqzsg86@bjmu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOral microbiota is a major etiological factor in the development of dental caries. Next-generation sequencing techniques have been widely used, generating vast amounts of data which is underexplored. The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has made it possible to mine information from these large datasets. This study aimed to develop AI-driven diagnostic models and identify key microbial features for caries.

methodsWe collected raw metagenomic and full-length 16 S rRNA gene sequencing data from previous studies on saliva and plaque to construct a caries AI training dataset comprising nearly 600 samples. Samples were grouped based on age, sequencing and sampling method. Through systematic comparison of seven machine learning architectures, including Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Support Vector Machines, Gradient Boosting, Convolutional Neural Networks, Feedforward Neural Networks, and Transformer models, we developed subgroup-specific caries diagnostic models, with subsequent ensemble learning integration to enhance generalizability.

resultsThe caries diagnostic model achieved a maximum AUC value of 1 (accuracy of 100%) for children under 6 years old in both saliva and plaque groups. The consistency of top features (species and metabolic pathways) contributing to the models was demonstrated through intra- and inter-group analyses. Key caries-associated species included Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus parasanguinis and Veillonella dispar. Veillonella parvula exhibits higher abundance in caries plaque samples, while being elevated in healthy saliva samples. Metabolic pathways like geranylgeranyl diphosphate and fructan biosynthesis were enriched in caries, whereas Bifidobacterium shunt and peptidoglycan biosynthesis were depleted.

conclusionThe current work provided reliable diagnostic models for early childhood caries, and established a robust computational framework for AI-driven microbiome analysis. This study, by focusing on the characteristics of the oral microbiome, offers novel perspectives for data mining and validation of existing data through the application of AI modelling.

Indexed as

Dental CariesDental PlaqueMachine LearningMetagenomicsMicrobiotaSalivaChildChild, PreschoolEnsemble LearningFemaleHumansMaleNeural Networks, ComputerRNA, Ribosomal, 16SRNA, Ribosomal, 16SArtificial intelligenceEarly childhood cariesMetagenomicsModellingSalivary diagnostics

Identifiers

PMID40676575
PMCPMC12272970

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.