Dental caries is one of the most common diseases worldwide. Bacteria and fungi are both commensals in the oral cavity; however, most research regarding caries has focused on bacterial impacts. The oral fungal mycobiome associated with caries is not well characterized, and its role in disease is unclear. ITS1 amplicon sequencing was used to generate taxonomic profiles from site-specific supragingival plaque samples (n = 82) obtained from 33 children with different caries status. Children were either caries free (CF), caries active with enamel lesions (CAE), or caries active with dentin lesions (CA). Plaque samples were collected from caries-free surfaces (PF) and from enamel (PE) and dentin (PD) lesions. Taxonomic profiles representing the different categorizations (CF-PF, CAE-PF, CAE-PE, CA-PF, CA-PE, and CA-PD) were used to characterize the mycobiome and its change through disease progression. A total of 139 fungal species were identified. Candida albicans was the most abundant species, followed by Candida dubliniensis. We found that severely progressed plaque communities (CA-PD) were significantly different from healthy plaque communities (CF-PF). A total of 32 taxa were differentially abundant across the plaque categories. C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, Nigrospora oryzae, and an unclassified Microdochium sp. were correlated with caries, whereas 12 other taxa were correlated with health. C. dubliniensis increased steadily as caries progressed, suggesting that C. dubliniensis may play an important role in caries pathogenicity. In contrast, four health-associated fungal taxa have the potential to antagonize the cariogen Streptococcus mutans via xylitol production, suggesting a possible fungal mechanism that could contribute to maintenance of dental health.

IMPORTANCE Early-childhood caries is one of the most prevalent diseases in children worldwide and, while preventable, remains a global public health concern. Untreated cavities are painful and expensive and can lead to tooth loss and a lower quality of life. Caries are driven by acid production via microbial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates, resulting in enamel erosion. While caries is a well-studied disease, most research has focused on bacterial impacts, even though fungi are commensal organisms living within the plaque biofilm. There is very little known about how fungi impact caries pathogenicity. The elucidation of fungal taxa involved in caries disease progression is necessary for a more holistic view of the human oral microbiome. Data from this study will improve our understanding of how the fungal community changes as disease progresses and provide insight into the complex etiology of dental caries, which is necessary for the development of treatment plans and preventative measures.

龋齿是全世界最常见的疾病之一。细菌和真菌在口腔中都是共鸣。然而，大多数关于龋齿的研究都集中在细菌的影响上。与龋齿相关的口腔真菌菌群学尚未得到充分表征，其在疾病中的作用尚不清楚。ITS1扩增子测序用于从特定部位的龈上菌斑样品（n= 82）是从33位龋病状况不同的儿童那里获得的。儿童是无龋齿（CF），有牙釉质病变的龋齿（CAE）或有牙本质病变的龋齿（CA）。从无龋表面（PF），牙釉质（PE）和牙本质（PD）病变中收集斑块样品。代表不同分类（CF-PF，CAE-PF，CAE-PE，CA-PF，CA-PE和CA-PD）的分类谱用于表征菌群及其通过疾病进展的变化。总共鉴定出139种真菌。白色念珠菌是最丰富的物种，其次是杜氏念珠菌。我们发现严重进展的斑块群落（CA-PD）与健康的斑块群落（CF-PF）显着不同。共有32个类群在斑块类别中差异丰富。C. albicans，C。dubliniensis，Nigrospora oryzae和未分类的Microdochium sp。与龋齿相关，而其他12个分类单元与健康相关。C. dubliniensis随着龋齿的发展而稳定增加，这表明C. dubliniensis可能在龋齿的致病性中起重要作用。相比之下，四种与健康相关的真菌类群有可能拮抗致癌物变形链球菌 通过木糖醇的生产，暗示了可能有助于维持牙齿健康的真菌机制。

重要性幼儿龋齿是全世界儿童中最流行的疾病之一，尽管可以预防，但仍然是全球公共卫生问题。未经处理的蛀牙既痛苦又昂贵，并可能导致牙齿脱落和生活质量下降。龋齿是由饮食碳水化合物的微生物发酵产生的酸驱动的，导致牙釉质侵蚀。虽然龋齿是一种经过充分研究的疾病，但大多数研究都集中在细菌的影响上，即使真菌是生活在菌斑生物膜中的常见生物。关于真菌如何影响龋病的致病性知之甚少。为了更全面地了解人类口腔微生物组，阐明与龋齿疾病进展有关的真菌类群是必要的。