Nagarajappa et al doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.a32673 1 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Effect of Chocobar Ice Cream Containing Bifidobacterium on Salivary Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli: A Randomised Controlled Trial Ramesh Nagarajappa a /Hemasha Daryani b /Archana J. Sharda c /Kailash Asawa c / Mehak Batra d /Sudhanshu Sanadhya d /Gayathri Ramesh e Purpose: To examine the effect of chocobar ice cream containing biidobacteria on salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli. Materials and Methods: A double-blind, randomised controlled trial was conducted with 30 subjects (18 to 22 years of age) divided into 2 groups, test (chocobar ice cream with probiotics) and control (chocobar ice cream without probi- otics). The subjects were instructed to eat the allotted chocobar ice cream once daily for 18 days. Saliva samples collected at intervals were cultured on Mitis Salivarius agar and Rogosa agar and examined for salivary mutans strep- tococci and lactobacilli, respectively. The Mann-Whitney U-test, Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Postingestion in the test group, a statistically signiicant reduction (p < 0.05) of salivary mutans streptococci was recorded, but a non-signiicant trend was seen for lactobacilli. Signiicant differences were was also observed between follow-ups. Conclusion: Short-term daily ingestion of ice cream containing probiotic biidobacteria may reduce salivary levels of mutans streptococci in young adults. Key words: Bifidobacterium, ice cream, Lactobacillus acidophilus, probiotics, saliva, Streptococcus mutans doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.a32673 Submitted for publication: 12.11.12; accepted for publication: 18.07.13 a Professor and Head, Department of Public Health Dentisty, Rama Dental College and Hospital, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Idea, hypothesis, laboratory work, acquisition, analysis and interpreta- tion of data, co-wrote and proofread manuscript. b Postgraduate Student, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Pa- cific Dental College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Idea, hypothesis, design, laboratory work, analysis and interpretation of data, co-wrote and proofread manuscript. c Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Pacific Dental College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Co-wrote and critically revised manuscript, analysed and interpreted data. d Postgraduate Student, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Pa- cific Dental College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Study design, analysed and interpreted data, substantially contributed to discussion, co-wrote and proofread manuscript. e Reader, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Rama Dental College and Hospital, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Study de- sign, analysed and interpreted data, substantially contributed to discussion, co-wrote and proofread manuscript. Correspondence: Professor Ramesh Nagarajappa, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Rama Dental College and Hospital, A-1/8 Kanpur 208024, Uttar Pradesh, India. Tel: +91- 962-116-8883, Fax: +91- 512-258-3875. Email: rameshpcd@yahoo.co.in T he consumption of bacteria as a part of the diet, mostly in the form of yogurt and other ferment- ed milk products, has increased over the past dec- ade, in part because of the broader availability of these products and partly because of the popular view of such products as healthy foods. Fermented milk products are a common part of the diet in Asia, Europe, parts of Africa and increasingly in North America (Saavedra et al, 2004). Studies have shown beneicial effects of probiotic bacteria, principally lactobacilli and biidobacteria in condi- tions such as lactose malabsorption in adults (On- wulata et al, 1989) and children (Montes et al, 1995; Shermak et al, 1995). Probiotic technology represents a breakthrough approach to maintaining oral health by utilising nat- ural beneicial bacteria commonly found in healthy mouths to provide a natural defence against those bacteria thought to be harmful to teeth and gums. In simple words, the basic principle of probiotics is