# The intrinsic link between the double burden of dental caries and stunting in children: the gut microbiota plays a key role

## TL;DR

This study shows how dental caries in children can lead to stunting by altering gut microbiota and reducing key phospholipids in the blood.

## Contribution

The study reveals a novel link between dental caries and stunting through changes in oral and gut microbiota and serum phospholipids.

## Key findings

- Dental caries alters oral microbiota, which in turn affects the gut microbiota composition.
- Serum phospholipids like sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine are reduced in children with severe dental caries.
- Changes in gut microbiota and phospholipid levels are linked to increased risk of stunting.

## Abstract

Currently, a significant number of children are experiencing the dual challenges of dental caries and malnutrition. This study aims to investigate the potential correlation between dental caries and malnutrition.

Record the lifestyle variables, oral health conditions, and growth parameters of the subjects. Dental plaque and fecal samples were collected for 16 S rDNA sequencing to analyze the characteristics of the oral and gut microbiota. Furthermore, untargeted metabolomics was employed to investigate changes in the serum metabolome of patients with severe dental caries.

Poor lifestyle can alter the oral microbial composition, increasing the risk of developing dental caries. Changes in the oral microbiota of patients with dental caries affect the gut microbiota, resulting in an increased abundance of genera such as Dialister, Megasphaera, and Agathobacter. Sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylethanolamine exhibited a significant positive correlation with the height-for-age Z-score. In patients with severe dental caries, the serum concentrations of these phospholipids were notably reduced, which was closely related to changes in the gut microbiota.

Dental caries disrupted the gut microbiota by altering the oral microbiota, leading to changes in the serum phospholipid profile of individuals with severe dental caries, ultimately raising the risk of stunting in children.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-026-04804-3.