The Submucosal Microbiome Correlates with Peri-implantitis Severity

Abstract

Peri-implantitis is an increasingly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease of the peri-implant tissue. A key etiologic factor for peri-implantitis is the submucosal biofilm, which may further drive clinical severity and accelerate disease progression. The present cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the compositional (full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) and functional patterns (metatranscriptomics) in the microbiome as an indicator of peri-implantitis severity. For this purpose, submucosal biofilm samples were collected from 49 peri-implantitis–diagnosed implants in 34 patients. Notable microbial signatures were associated with increased probing depth (PD), a measure for disease severity. Multivariate linear regression analysis, adjusted for patient variability, showed that the genera Capnocytophaga and Gemella were negatively correlated with increased peri-implantitis severity whereas Pseudoramibacter was positively correlated with it. PICRUSt2-based metabolic pathway prediction revealed the following to be negatively correlated with PD: central carbon metabolism, nitrate reduction, sulfate assimilation, glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and heme biosynthesis. In contrast, cobalamin and tetrahydrofolate biosynthesis showed positive correlations. Metatranscriptomic analysis uncovered additional enzyme functions correlated with PD, which were related to galactose metabolism and proteolysis. Our data allowed the proposal of an extended microbial dysbiosis index for peri-implantitis severity. The quantitative index, integrating significant microbial and functional features, revealed high correlation with PD. In conclusion, our results showed that the level of peri-implantitis severity is associated with distinct and significant changes in microbial composition as well as microbial functions. The severity-specific microbiome signatures identified in our study will advance microbiome-based diagnostics and disease stratification, paving the way for targeted clinical interventions for peri-implantitis.