Bacteriotherapy and probiotics' role on oral health

• Published in: Oral diseases Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 131 - 137
• Main Authors: Çaglar, E, Kargul, B, Tanboga, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Munksgaard International Publishers 01.05.2005
• Subjects: Animals; Bacteriotherapy; Bifidobacterium; Cariostatic Agents - therapeutic use; Cheese - microbiology; Dental Caries - prevention & control; Dentistry; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Humans; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus acidophilus; Lactobacillus casei; Milk - microbiology; Mouth - microbiology; oral health; probiotics; Probiotics - therapeutic use; Yogurt - microbiology
• ISSN: 1354-523X; 1601-0825
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-0825.2005.01109.x

Oral infections constitute some of the most common and costly forms of infections in humans. The concept of microbial ecological change as a mechanism for preventing dental disease is an important one while altered microbial ecology may lead to dental disease. New methods such as probiotic approaches (i.e. whole bacteria replacement therapy) to eliminate pathogenic members of the microbiota can be investigated. Bacteriotherapy is an alternative and promising way to combat infections by using harmless bacteria to displace pathogenic microorganisms. Probiotics are one of these new agents which are widely used for their therapeutic action. Limited research is available showing that some probiotic cultures may help dental improvement. Present paper focuses on possible oral benefits of probiotics.