Periodontal disease and the oral microbiota in new-onset rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To profile the abundance and diversity of subgingival oral microbiota in patients with never-treated, new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Periodontal disease (PD) status, clinical activity, and sociodemographic factors were determined in patients with new-onset RA, patients with chronic RA, and healthy subjects. Multiplexed-454 pyrosequencing was used to compare the composition of subgingival microbiota and establish correlations between the presence/abundance of bacteria and disease phenotypes.