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Thesis
Longitudinal profiling of salivary and gingival crevicular fluid metabolomes during fixed orthodontic treatment
University of Iowa
Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
Spring 2026
DOI: 10.25820/etd.008454
Abstract
Fixed orthodontic treatment alters the oral environment; however, its functional metabolic effects remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to longitudinally characterize changes in the oral metabolome during fixed orthodontic therapy using saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) as complementary biological niches. A prospective cohort of adolescents undergoing comprehensive fixed orthodontic treatment was followed across multiple time points, including baseline, active treatment, and retention. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed using mass spectrometry–based approaches. Multivariate analyses and longitudinal modeling were used to evaluate temporal changes in metabolite profiles. At baseline, GCF and saliva demonstrated distinct metabolomic signatures with clear separation between fluids, supporting their roles as different biological environments. Across treatment, both fluids exhibited temporal variation in metabolite profiles, with subsets of metabolites showing consistent increases or decreases over time. These changes were heterogeneous, with some metabolites demonstrating transient shifts and others showing more sustained alterations. During the retention phase, metabolomic profiles in both GCF and saliva showed partial convergence toward baseline patterns. While not all metabolites returned to baseline levels, this trend suggests that some treatment-associated metabolic changes may attenuate following appliance removal. Overall, fixed orthodontic treatment is associated with dynamic but variable alterations in the oral metabolome. The distinct yet complementary information provided by GCF and saliva supports the value of multi-niche approaches in evaluating biological responses during orthodontic therapy.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Longitudinal profiling of salivary and gingival crevicular fluid metabolomes during fixed orthodontic treatment
- Creators
- Melika Farshad
- Contributors
- Sukirth Ganesan (Advisor)Lina M. Moreno Uribe (Committee Member)Shareef Dabdoub (Committee Member)Shankar Rengasamy Venugopalan (Committee Member)Michael A. Callan (Committee Member)Kyungsup Shin (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Orthodontics
- Date degree season
- Spring 2026
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.008454
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- viii, 36 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2026 Melika Farshad
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/15/2026
- Description illustrations
- Illustrations, graphs, charts, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 34-36).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Braces are commonly used to improve dental alignment, but they can also affect the environment inside the mouth. While previous studies have focused on bacteria and inflammation, less is known about changes in small molecules called metabolites, which reflect ongoing biological activity. In this study, we followed patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment and analyzed two oral fluids: saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), a fluid found around the gums. Saliva reflects the overall oral environment, while GCF provides information about localized changes near the teeth. At baseline, these two fluids showed distinct metabolic profiles. As treatment progressed, both saliva and GCF demonstrated changes in metabolite levels over time. Some metabolites increased, others decreased, and some showed temporary shifts during treatment. After removal of the orthodontic appliances, many of these changes began to move back toward baseline levels, although not all fully returned. Overall, this study shows that orthodontic treatment is associated with measurable but variable changes in the oral environment. Understanding these changes may help guide future research on monitoring oral health during treatment and improving patient care.
- Academic Unit
- Orthodontics
- Record Identifier
- 9985177273702771
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