CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORAL MICROBIOTA IN CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL CLEFT PALATE WITH CLEFT LIP

Tetiana  Timokhina; Marina  Kryvtsova; Nina  Proshchenko; Mykola  Spivak

doi:10.21272/eumj.2026;14(2);532-542

Tetiana Timokhina Department of Dental Therapy, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0220-0220
Marina Kryvtsova Department of Clinical Laboratory and Morphofunctional Diagnostics, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8454-2509
Nina Proshchenko Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7317-6590
Mykola Spivak D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4394-7275

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21272/eumj.2026;14(2);532-542

Keywords: congenital maxillofacial anomalies, fissure of palate, oral hygiene, microbial coenosis, oral cavity biotopes, dental diseases, opportunistic microorganisms

Abstract

Introduction. The oral cavity microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining oral health. However, its composition may change under the influence of exogenous factors or due to disruptions in the anatomical and consequently, functional features of various biotopes within the oral cavity. Under such conditions, the development of dysbiosis can lead to a chronic, persistent inflammatory process. These pathologies require further investigation to develop recommendations for correcting the identified imbalances.

Objective: To study the microbiota of oral cavity biotopes in children with cleft hard and soft palate with cleft lip.

Materials and Methods: In children with bilateral (n = 46) and unilateral (n = 44) cleft hard and soft palate with cleft lip was examined through dental assessment and microbiological analysis of cultured biological samples (smears from inflammatory sites), using differential diagnostic nutrient media. These media were used to cultivate conditionally pathogenic microbiota. For cultivating anaerobic microbiota, Shedler agar supplemented with 5% sheep blood ("Himedia", India) was used. Anaerobic conditions were created using an anaerostat with the AnaeroGen System ("Oxoid", United Kingdom).

Results: It was found that in children with unilateral and bilateral cleft hard and soft palate with cleft lip, the lowest values of the digital data of the hygiene indices was assessed as poor, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the oral microbiota was characterized by a predominance of conditionally pathogenic, aerobic, and facultative anaerobic microorganisms. The oral microbiota in these patients was classified as dysbiotic, with a dominance of facultative conditionally pathogenic microorganisms, which include opportunistic infection pathogens. A comparison of the oral microbiota in children with cleft hard and soft palate and cleft lip - both unilateral and bilateral - showed that the number of facultative microbiota representatives was higher in children with bilateral clefts. At the same time, the species composition of the dominant microbiota representatives showed little variation.

Conclusions:The oral microbiota in children with cleft hard and soft palate with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip was dominated by 2–5 associative complexes composed of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, microscopic fungi of the genus Candida, and periodontal pathogenic microorganisms, primarily from Socransky’s orange complex. In cases of bilateral clefts of the hard and soft palate with cleft lip, the titer of facultative microbiota was higher. The structure of the microbial community included obligate anaerobes associated with periodontal pathogens. In the microbial coenosis of children with bilateral clefts of the lip and palate, anaerobic bacteria such as Prevotella, Peptococcus, Peptostreptococcus, and Fusobacterium were present against a background of high concentrations of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms.

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