Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The oral cavity is a unique ecosystem in which the microbiome is formed by the colonization of billions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Aim of the study was to assess the quality and quantity of bacterial microbiota of the oral cavity in children with type 1 diabetes in comparison to healthy children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 50 randomly selected type 1 diabetic children aged 10-18 years divided into 2 groups (25 people each) according to the level of diabetes control: well-controlled group (WC) - HbA1c ≤ 7.5%) and poorly-controlled group (PC) - HbA1c > 7.5%. The control group (GC) consisted of 25 randomly selected children with no systemic diseases. The material for microbiological tests was collected as two swabs: one from the bottom of the oral cavity and the other one from the posterior part of the dorsum of the tongue). RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the total number of isolated microorganisms between PC and GC (post hoc test p = 0.003) and WC and GC (post hoc test p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of isolated microorganisms between PC and WC (p = 0.195). CONCLUSIONS: Oral microbiome in type 1 diabetic children is significantly quantitatively different in comparison to healthy children. There are also visible qualitative differences in the profile of oral microbiota in type 1 diabetic children and healthy children.