Effect of Probiotic Chewing Tablets on Early Childhood Caries
Effect of Probiotic Chewing Tablets on Early Childhood Caries
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administrated in appropriate amounts. During the last decade, the use of such beneficial bacteria has gained interest within the dental research community with focus on caries development, periodontal health and halitosis. For caries prevention and root caries arrest, some studies have provided encouraging results in children and adults, albeit the quality of evidence still is regarded as insufficient. It is generally thought that exposure to probiotic bacteria early in life may have a greater impact on general and oral health compared to adult regimes. For example, it has been shown that administration of probiotic drops containing strains of Lactobacillus reuteri during the first year of life had an impact on caries prevalence and frequency at the age of 9 years Others have however presented contrasting results. As early childhood caries is one of the most serious and costly health conditions among young children, it seems important to investigate novel self-administrated preventive strategies that could be added to existing evidence-based recommendations. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the effect of a probiotic chewing tablet, given as a daily supplement after fluoride toothpaste use, on the development of early childhood caries in preschool children living in a multicultural low-socioeconomic area. The null hypothesis was that the caries increment would not differ from that of a control group with similar intake of placebo tablets.
Background
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administrated in appropriate amounts. During the last decade, the use of such beneficial bacteria has gained interest within the dental research community with focus on caries development, periodontal health and halitosis. For caries prevention and root caries arrest, some studies have provided encouraging results in children and adults, albeit the quality of evidence still is regarded as insufficient. It is generally thought that exposure to probiotic bacteria early in life may have a greater impact on general and oral health compared to adult regimes. For example, it has been shown that administration of probiotic drops containing strains of Lactobacillus reuteri during the first year of life had an impact on caries prevalence and frequency at the age of 9 years Others have however presented contrasting results. As early childhood caries is one of the most serious and costly health conditions among young children, it seems important to investigate novel self-administrated preventive strategies that could be added to existing evidence-based recommendations. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the effect of a probiotic chewing tablet, given as a daily supplement after fluoride toothpaste use, on the development of early childhood caries in preschool children living in a multicultural low-socioeconomic area. The null hypothesis was that the caries increment would not differ from that of a control group with similar intake of placebo tablets.
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