Early Childhood Caries remains a major public health concern across Asia, influenced by complex
interactions between host factors, behaviors, and the oral microbiome. This review synthesizes current
research on the diversity of the oral microbiome in healthy and ECC patients among eight Asian countries,
highlighting distinct regional microbial patterns and their associations with caries status. Evidence suggests,
ECC is consistently linked to microbial dysbiosis, with elevated levels of acidogenic and aciduric taxa such
as Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, and Candida albicans. These three species are the most dominant
species among ECC cases across Southeast Asia (India, Thailand, Indonesia) and East Asia (China, Japan).
Despite these commonalities, healthy oral microbiota shows striking regional variation: Neisseria is
abundant in Japan and Korea, Prevotella in Thailand, Granulicatella in Malaysia, Proteobacteria in
Myanmar, and Gracillibacteria_GN02 in India. These findings highlight that geographic, dietary, and
cultural differences contribute to population-specific microbial profiles. Notably, maternal oral health,
mode of delivery, and early feeding practices significantly shape the infant oral microbiome. Understandingthese dynamics offers new opportunities for microbiome-informed diagnostics, risk prediction, and
personalized interventions tailored to the diverse sociocultural contexts of Asia.
Keywords: Early childhood caries, oral microbiome, microbial dysbiosis, microbiota, temporal
dynamics
Publication date: 01/09/2026
https://www.ijbpas.com/pdf/2026/September/MS_IJBPAS_2026_10482.pdf
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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2026/15.9.10482
