# Multispecies aggregates from human dental plaque nucleate highly diverse spatially structured oral biofilms on saliva coated surfaces

> **NIH NIH F31** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY · 2024 · $37,019

## Abstract

Abstract
According to the CDC, Periodontitis affects 47.2% of individuals aged 30 and over. By the age of 65, the
number of people impacted by periodontitis jumps to 70.1%. Dysbiosis, shifts in biofilm composition leading to
imbalances in microbial composition are precursors of widespread human diseases such as tooth decay
(dental caries) and periodontitis. How shifts in biofilm spatial structure impact the progression from health to
disease is unknown. We have developed an in vitro dental plaque culture system in which plaque samples
obtained from healthy donors via flossing are used to seed complex communities. Quantitative analysis by
Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH), confocal microscopy, and spectral imaging demonstrated that model
biofilms are highly diverse, spatially structured, and unexpectedly heterogeneous in spatial structure. We
observed that the dental plaque inocula from healthy donors were composed of single cells and large
multispecies coaggregates. We hypothesize that early stochastic events mediated by these multispecies
coaggregates lead to highly spatially structured and heterogeneous biofilms depending on where these
interacting communities land on nascent surfaces. To test our hypothesis, we developed a protocol for
disrupting plaque coaggregates. We observed that biofilms derived from dental plaque inocula in which
aggregates were disrupted before seeding in vitro cultures resulted in biofilms with decreased diversity and
increased spatial homogeneity. Biofilms derived de-aggregated plaque inocula lacked many gram-negative,
obligate anaerobe community members. Our results demonstrate a previously unknown role multispecies
aggregates in structuring oral biofilms and may have clinical importance in the mouth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10929954
- **Project number:** 5F31DE032913-02
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY
- **Principal Investigator:** Alex Lemus
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $37,019
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10929954

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10929954, Multispecies aggregates from human dental plaque nucleate highly diverse spatially structured oral biofilms on saliva coated surfaces (5F31DE032913-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10929954. Licensed CC0.

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