Signatures of the maternal-infant oral microbiome in contexts of imprisonment and social vulnerability.

Introduction: The oral microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem that develops in early life through physiological processes and environmental exposures and plays a key role in oral and systemic health. In socially vulnerable settings, such as prisons, altered living conditions may shape the establishment of the pediatric oral microbiome. This study aimed to characterize the oral microbiome signatures in mothers, children, and pregnant women living in prisons, and to explore microbial variation in relation to confinement-related living conditions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that included the entire maternal-child population ( Results: A shared core microbiome, dominated by Conclusion: These findings provide an exploratory characterization of the oral microbiome in mothers, children, and pregnant women living in prison settings. The lower diversity observed in children, along with the presence of opportunistic environmental taxa, underscores the importance of accounting for confinement-related living conditions in oral health research and prevention strategies for historically marginalized populations. Future comparative and longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the relationship between prison-specific conditions and variation in the oral microbiome.