International Journal of Oral Health Dentistry 2020;6(2):131–136 Content available at: iponlinejournal.com International Journal of Oral Health Dentistry Journal homepage: www.ipinnovative.com Original Research Article Clinical efficacy of a probiotic fluoride dentifrice: A comparitive clinical and microbiologic study Jasjit Kaur 1, *, Rahul Paul 2 , Divya Gupta 2 , Aastha Manchanda 2 , Geetika Arora 2 1 Purexa Global Pvt Ltd, East of Kailash, New Delhi, India 2 Inderprastha Dental College & Hospital, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 20-05-2020 Accepted 25-05-2020 Available online 21-07-2020 Keywords: Probiotic Streptococcus mutans Dentifrice ABSTRACT Introduction: Oral cavity harbors wide variety of microorganisms; these are considered crucial for the dental caries initiation and progression. Plaque-induced caries is a local disease; therefore, dentifrices are the most ideal vehicle for the daily delivery of antibacterial agents. In recent years, adjuncts to fluorides such as probiotics chlorhexidine have been proposed to in view of antiplaque and anticariogenic properties by means of reduction of bacterial count. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the anticariogenic activity and improvement in the oral health status of participants over a period of 45 days. Materials and Methods: A single blinded, parallel group, randomized controlled clinical study was conducted among healthy adults. Thirty individuals were randomly allocated to two groups (n = 15): Group I – probiotic dentifrice (test group) Group II – no intervention (control group) Saliva samples were evaluated for Streptococcus mutans colony forming unit (CFU/ml of saliva) at baseline, 15th, 30th, 45 th day of follow-up. Paired t-test and one-way. ANOVA were used to compare the mean differences of salivary S. mutans counts at the three time periods. Results: The mean S. mutans counts in saliva samples were significantly reduced in the treatment group at the 45th day of follow-up. Conclusion: The test group exhibited antimicrobial activity by bringing about a significant reduction in the mean S. mutans colony counts at the 30th day & 45 th day of follow-up. © 2020 Published by Innovative Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) 1. Introduction The dental plaque, which has been identified as a biofilm, is the primary etiological factor for most frequently occurring oral diseases, dental caries and periodontal diseases. 1,2 Microbial biofilms are complex communities of bacteria and are common in the human body and in the environment. 1–3 Dental biofilm cannot be eliminated, but it can be reduced and controlled through daily oral care. 2 Since teeth comprise only 20% of the mouth’s surfaces and the biofilm bacteria contained in oral mucosal reservoirs, the use of topical antimicrobials as an important adjunct to tooth brushing may also play a role in controlling * Corresponding author. E-mail address: dr.jasjit10@gmail.com (J. Kaur). biofilm. 3 Until today, the incorporation of chemical agents with antimicrobial activity into dental products has been proposed as a potential prophylactic method of reducing plaque-mediated disease. 4 Probiotics can be defined as living microbes, or as food ingredients containing living microbes, that beneficially influence the health of the host when used in adequate numbers. 5 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are defined as viable microorganisms that confer a health benefit when administered in sufficient doses. 6,7 Commonly, most of the organisms ascribed as having probiotic properties belongs to the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. 8 https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijohd.2020.029 2395-4914/© 2020 Innovative Publication, All rights reserved. 131