B26-09 Impact of Vaping on Subgingival Microbiota and Its Association With Periodontal Disease

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have been the most used tobacco product among U.S. youth since 2014. Growing concerns have linked ENDS use to oral diseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis. Building upon our previous findings of ENDS-associated microbial and functional shifts, this study investigated how vaping behaviors relate to gum health indicators through subgingival plaque microbiome analysis. A total of 57 participants (24 never-established and 33 established ENDS users; ages 18-35) were recruited in 2023-2024 under IRB protocol H22081. Exclusion criteria included nicotine patch use, substance abuse, or use of other tobacco products. Subgingival plaque samples from each quadrant were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The Linear Decomposition Model (LDM) assessed amplicon sequence variant (ASV) differences while adjusting for age, sex, race, body mass index, and sugar intake, with a 5% false discovery rate (FDR). KEGG Orthologs (KOs) were predicted using Tax4Fun2 to infer microbial functions. We identified six phyla, 18 genera, and 46 taxa differentially abundant in established ENDS users compared with non-users. Pathogenic species associated with periodontal disease—including Filifactor alocis (fold change = 5.3, FDR = 0.01), Treponema putidum (fold change = 3.8, FDR = 0.047), Fretibacterium fastidiosum (fold change = 3.7, FDR = 0.03), and Tannerella forsythia (fold change = 1.7, FDR = 0.075) were significantly enriched among ENDS users. Of 1,078 identified KOs, 421 (FDR < 0.05) were mapped to 17 KEGG pathways, including peptidoglycan biosynthesis (FDR = 0.046), a hallmark of periodontal pathogens known to elicit gum inflammation and tissue destruction. Enrichment of the N-glycan biosynthesis pathway (p = 0.018) in saliva further suggests altered salivary glycoprotein metabolism by ENDS use, which may influence bacterial adhesion, plaque formation, and microbial clearance. Together, these results indicate that ENDS use may enrich pathogenic taxa and reshape microbial metabolic potential, thereby heightening the risk for gingival inflammation, periodontal disease, and dental caries. This study underscores the need for mechanistic and longitudinal investigations to inform oral health surveillance and public health strategies addressing ENDS-related risks. This abstract is funded by: National Institute of Health