Emerging role of Scardovia wiggsiae as an oral pathogen in early childhood caries: a scoping review

Early childhood caries (ECC) and severe ECC (S-ECC) remain significant public health concerns. Emerging evidence indicates that Scardovia wiggsiae (S. wiggsiae), an acidogenic and aciduric bacterium, has been frequently detected in children with progressive carious lesions. To investigate this association, a scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed through December 2025 using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms combined with Boolean operators. English-language human case-control studies involving children ≤6 years comparing ECC and S-ECC with caries-free controls were included. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria and were analysed. The observations indicated that the prevalence of S. wiggsiae ranged from 45% to 90.6% in ECC and 18% to 93.3% in S-ECC, compared with 2% to 90% in caries-free children. An increase in the bacterial abundance in caries-affected groups compared with caries-free controls was evident. Frequent sucrose consumption was associated with ECC and increased detection of S. wiggsiae. Co-detection with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) was commonly reported, suggesting ecological enrichment within cariogenic biofilms. To conclude, this review indicates that S. wiggsiae is frequently detected in association with ECC and S-ECC, notably in sugar-rich and acidic environments. The organism is detected in both caries-affected and caries-free children, although the quantitative analyses indicate that bacterial load correlates significantly with disease severity more than simple detection. However, study heterogeneity and limited longitudinal data in young children restrict definitive conclusions.

Acidogenic bacteria; Biofilm; Dental plaque; Early childhood caries; Oral microbiome; Scardovia wiggsiae

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