Opal Biome Sample Report
A public demo showing the kind of before/after oral microbiome interpretation a founding beta customer receives. This report is built from anonymized demo samples and is educational, non-diagnostic, and not medical or dental advice.
Executive Summary
Participant B's Streptococcus share moved from baseline to month 1.
Shannon diversity rose, while the dominant genus remained Streptococcus.
One participant has a baseline and a one-month follow-up.
What This Test Can And Cannot Say
Can say
- Which bacterial taxa were detected above the reporting threshold.
- Which genera and species dominated the sample.
- How one person's profile changed between two timepoints.
- Whether taxa discussed in oral-probiotic, nitrate-reduction, breath, or gum-health literature were detected.
Cannot say
- It cannot diagnose or rule out a medical or dental condition.
- It cannot prove that bacteria were alive or that a probiotic strain colonized.
- It does not measure nitric oxide, blood pressure, volatile sulfur compounds, inflammation, plaque depth, or tooth decay.
- A single sample is a snapshot and can vary with timing, hygiene, food, hydration, antibiotics, and collection technique.
Quality Snapshot
| Sample | Timepoint | Reads | Mean Q | Shannon | Taxa >=0.1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo A | single snapshot | 4936 | 22.8 | 3.21 | 47 |
| Demo B baseline | baseline | 4931 | 23.1 | 2.86 | 39 |
| Demo B month 1 | month 1 | 4880 | 22.1 | 3.03 | 44 |
| Demo C | single snapshot | 4912 | 22.1 | 3.55 | 53 |
| Demo D | single snapshot | 4898 | 21.8 | 3.10 | 41 |
| Demo E | single snapshot | 4968 | 22.0 | 2.80 | 38 |
Read counts and quality metrics help decide whether a result is interpretable enough to discuss. They do not prove clinical significance.
Cross-Sample Pattern
| Sample | Top genus | Nitrate literature genera | Breath literature genera | Gum literature genera |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo A | Streptococcus (51.1%) | 67.3% | 12.5% | 1.1% |
| Demo B baseline | Streptococcus (56.1%) | 70.9% | 11.9% | 1.7% |
| Demo B month 1 | Streptococcus (44.0%) | 58.4% | 12.6% | 4.7% |
| Demo C | Streptococcus (39.2%) | 58.1% | 15.0% | 3.2% |
| Demo D | Streptococcus (46.8%) | 69.5% | 22.8% | 2.4% |
| Demo E | Streptococcus (36.7%) | 58.1% | 5.0% | 0.7% |
Module totals are literature annotations. They are not diagnoses, risk scores, or proof of function.
Participant B: One-Month Before / After
Participant B is the clearest product story because Opal Biome is built around change over time. The useful question is not "is this good or bad?" The useful question is "what changed enough to retest under a controlled protocol?"
Largest genus-level shifts
| Genus | Baseline | Month 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streptococcus | 56.1% | 44.0% | -12.1 pp |
| Haemophilus | 13.7% | 18.7% | +5.0 pp |
| Gemella | 5.1% | 8.2% | +3.2 pp |
| Veillonella | 10.2% | 7.5% | -2.8 pp |
| Granulicatella | 4.0% | 6.7% | +2.6 pp |
| Neisseria | 3.7% | 5.7% | +2.0 pp |
| Porphyromonas | 0.0% | 1.9% | +1.9 pp |
| Fusobacterium | 0.8% | 1.8% | +1.0 pp |
Largest species-level shifts
| Species | Baseline | Month 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streptococcus salivarius | 21.2% | 2.4% | -18.8 pp |
| Haemophilus parainfluenzae | 13.0% | 16.8% | +3.9 pp |
| Streptococcus sp. | 4.0% | 6.7% | +2.7 pp |
| Granulicatella elegans | 4.0% | 6.3% | +2.3 pp |
| Neisseria subflava | 3.0% | 5.2% | +2.2 pp |
| Veillonella parvula | 5.9% | 4.0% | -1.9 pp |
| Gemella sanguinis | 2.7% | 4.6% | +1.9 pp |
| Streptococcus mitis | 14.4% | 15.9% | +1.5 pp |
Module summary
| Module | Baseline | Month 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate-reduction literature genera | 70.9% | 58.4% | -12.5 pp |
| Breath-related literature genera | 11.9% | 12.6% | +0.7 pp |
| Gum-health literature genera | 1.7% | 4.7% | +2.9 pp |
| Probiotic-interest genera | 56.1% | 44.0% | -12.1 pp |
How We Would Explain This To A Customer
Streptococcus remained the dominant genus, but its relative abundance decreased by about 12 percentage points. Haemophilus, Gemella, Granulicatella, and Neisseria increased. The most visible species-level change was a decrease in Streptococcus salivarius, while Haemophilus parainfluenzae increased.
The right next step would be to repeat the same collection protocol while changing only one oral-care variable. If the same directional change appears again, it becomes more interesting. If it disappears, it was likely timing, collection, or short-term noise.
Science Grounding
- 16S amplicon sequencing is generally interpreted as relative abundance, not absolute bacterial load. Relative abundance can shift because one group grew, another group fell, or total biomass changed.
- DNA-based sequencing can detect DNA from non-living organisms. Detection is not the same as viable colonization.
- Oral nitrate research discusses genera such as Rothia, Neisseria, Actinomyces, Veillonella, Streptococcus, and Prevotella, but detecting these genera does not prove nitric oxide production in a person.
- Oral probiotic effects are strain-specific, time-dependent, and context-dependent. Genus-level detection cannot confirm a commercial probiotic strain.
References
- Oral nitrate-reducing bacteria as potential probiotics for blood pressure and nitric oxide research.
- The effects of nitrate on the oral microbiome: systematic review.
- Probiotics for oral health: critical evaluation of bacterial strains.
- Efficacy of probiotics in the management of halitosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 16S amplicon sequencing and relative-abundance limitations.