International Journal of Dental Sciences and Research, 2013, Vol. 1, No. 3, 67-70 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/ijdsr/1/3/7 © Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/ijdsr-1-3-7 Probiotics – Promotes Periodontal Health? - An Insight Bhuvaneswari Birla Bose * Department of Periodontics AIMST Dental Institute AIMST University Semeling, Bedong, Malaysia *Corresponding author: bhuvssbirla@gmail.com Received September 29, 2013; Revised November 30, 2013; Accepted December 22, 2013 Abstract Probiotics are live microorganisms which are dietary supplements that when administered in adequate amounts confer wide range of health benefits. Since, probiotics are now widely used in both medical (such as cancer risk reduction, gastrointestinal tract health, and urinary tract health) and dental specialties (reduction in caries development, in achieving periodontal health, reducing oral malodor, etc.), a thorough knowledge of their risks and benefits are mandatory. Evidence now suggests that probiotics may function not only by direct inhibition of pathogenic micro-organisms, but also by more subtle mechanisms including modulation of the mucosal immune system. Little attention has been paid to the identification of beneficialoral bacterial species. Probiotic technology represents a breakthrough approach to maintaining oral health by using natural beneficial bacteria to provide a natural defense against the pathogenic bacterial species. This review endeavors to introduce the concepts of probiotics in periodontics. Keywords: probiotics, periodontal therapy, beneficial bacteria, novel therapy Cite This Article: Bhuvaneswari Birla Bose, “Probiotics – Promotes Periodontal Health? - An Insight.” International Journal of Dental Sciences and Research 1, no. 3 (2013): 67-70. doi: 10.12691/ijdsr-1-3-7. 1. Introduction Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease that encompasses the hard and soft tissue, microbial colonization (with or without invasion), inflammatory responses and adaptive immune responses. It results from extension of the inflammatory process initiated in the gingiva to the supporting periodontal tissues. The main pathogenic agents associated with periodontitis are P. gingivalis, T. denticola, T. forsythia and A. actinomycetemcomitans. These bacteria have a variety of virulent characteristics allowing them to colonize the subgingival sites, escape the host defence system and cause tissue damage. Advances in periodontal science and treatment approaches over the last decade have radically changed the understanding of periodontal diseases and have opened new, exciting prospects for both non-surgical and surgical therapy of periodontal diseases. Mechanical methods of subgingival debridement accomplished by thorough scaling and root planing, accompanied by oral hygiene procedures, have served as the gold standard of periodontal therapy for decades. In recent years, there have been tremendous changes with regard to the effectiveness of, and attitudes towards, conventional antimicrobial therapy to combat disease. Development of antibiotic resistance has rendered many antibiotics useless against important diseases thereby implementing the necessity to minimise antibiotic use and also develop novel non-antibiotic-based treatments. Hence the use of “Probiotics” in the treatment of periodontal disease has emerged. The term “probiotic” was initially proposed by Lilley and Stillwell in 1965. The first probiotic species to be introduced in research was Lactobacillus acidophilus by Hull et al. in1984 followed by Bifidobacterium bifidum by Holcombh et al. in 1991 [1]. WHO defined that probiotics are live micro-organisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer health benefits upon the host. Oral administration of probiotics may also benefit oral health by preventing the growth of harmful microbiota or by modulating mucosal immunity in the oral cavity [2]. It can be used for plaque modification, altering anaerobic organism colonization, altering pocket depth and improving clinical attatchment. The application of selected beneficial bacteria, as an adjunct to scaling and root planing, would also inhibit the periodonto-pathogen recolonization of periodontal pockets and thus achieve and maintain perio dontal health [3]. Probiotics are broadly classified into two genus- Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium lactobacillus species from which several probiotic strains have been isolated which include L. acidophilus, L. johnsonii, L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. gasseri, and L. reuteri. Similarly,the bifidobacterium strains include B. bifidum, B.longum, and B. infantis. A probiotic may be made out of a single bacterial strain or it may be a consortium as well. Probiotics can be in powder form, liquid form, gel, paste, granules or available in the form of capsules, sachets, etc [4]. 2. Probiotics and Periodontal Health 2.1. Mechanism of Action The mechanisms of probiotic action in the mouth are expected to be similar to those observed in other parts of