Abstract

Tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, little cigars) harbor diverse bacterial communities and long-term tobacco use alters the oral microbiome, potentially leading to oral disease. However, no studies have evaluated the immediate changes in the oral bacterial microbiota that could occur after using a new tobacco product. To address this knowledge gap, buccal swab and saliva samples were collected from forty cigarette smokers before and after a single use of a little cigar product on two separate visits. Total DNA was extracted from a total of 320 samples. The 16S rRNA gene was amplified from these samples and sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq to characterize the bacterial microbiota. Oral bacterial diversity was not significantly different between pre- and post-smoking samples. However, post-smoking buccal samples were enriched with Delftia, Leptotrichia, Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas (genera that can include opportunistic pathogens) and post-smoking saliva samples were enriched with Catonella when compared to the pre-smoking samples. In summary, single use of a little cigar product does not immediately impact overall oral bacterial diversity among cigarette smokers; however, post-smoking oral samples may have a higher relative abundance of some bacterial genera. Hence, smoking a new tobacco product could potentially alter the relative abundance of some bacterial types within the oral cavity of smokers, highlighting a potential microbiological pathway through which tobacco use could contribute to oral disease risk.

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