Probiotics In Periodontics

A Peep into Probiotics

For a very long time, bacteria have been associated with illness. Thus, the concept of employing microbes to improve health has a mystical feel to it. A clear definition of the term "probiotics" was established in 2003. Probiotics are live microorganisms that mimic the beneficial bacteria, usually bacteria, that are present in the intestines of humans. They are also known as "friendly bacteria" or "good or healthy bacteria." They can boost immunity, which strengthens our defences against predators. Probiotics are dietary supplements that include specific yeasts or potentially helpful bacteria. In addition to suppressing pathogens that cause and spread disease, they stimulate flora that promotes health.1,2 Today in dentistry, chronic periodontitis has become a huge problem. The major objective of treating chronic periodontitis is to deal with the underlying cause. Gains in clinical attachment levels are accompanied by a decrease in periodontal pocket depth following successful treatment of chronic periodontitis. Scaling and root planing together with other nonsurgical periodontal therapy measures have long been the mainstays of treatment for chronic periodontitis.3 When scaling and root planing therapy alone is ineffective in these complex disorders, adjunctive therapies like probiotics or antibiotics may be helpful.

Probiotics + Prebiotics + Synbiotics

Probiotics are named after a Greek word that means "for life." Probiotics are live, non-pathogenic bacteria given to a host to balance his microbiome. Prebiotics and probiotics work in conjunction to produce beneficial outcomes.4 Prebiotics are substances found in food that aid in the development or heightened activity of the host's probiotic microbes. In essence, these prebiotics are indigestible fibrous substances. Lastly, synbiotics are food ingredients or dietary supplements that synergistically combine probiotics and prebiotics.5 Significance of Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics The most important and documented beneficial effects of probiotics include the prevention of diarrhea, constipation, changes in bile salt conjugation, enhancement of anti-bacterial activity, anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, they also contribute to the synthesis of nutrients and improve their bioavailability; some probiotics are known to exert anti-oxidative activity in the form of intact cells or lysates.4 Prebiotics are mostly fibers that are non-digestible food ingredients and beneficially affect the host’s health by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of some genera of microorganisms. FAO/WHO defines prebiotics as a non-viable food component that confer health benefit(s) on the host associated with modulation of the oral microbiota.4 Synbiotics seems to be quite attractive proposition for enhancing the immune function. A combination of B. coagulans with inulin in diet for 6 weeks induced a significant reduction in the levels of C-reactive protein and increased glutathione levels. Synbiotic supplementation of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and 10 % FOS in rats fed with high-fat, low-fiber diet suppressed intestinal and systemic inflammation and the effects were comparable to FOS supplementation.9

Criteria for Choosing Probiotics

1. It should be able to improve the host animal's condition, for as through promoting growth or disease resistance.
2. It must be human-made.
3. It ought to have a good cell viability rate.
4. It should not be harmful or pathogenic.
5. It needs to be able to communicate with or alert immune cells.
6. It should be able to affect the regional metabolic activity.
7. It must be able to survive and function under the conditions of the gut, such as resistance to organic acids and low pH.
8. It must be reliable and durable enough to withstand prolonged field and storage circumstances.4

Rationale of Probiotics

When an illness is treated with traditional antibiotics, it gets worse rather than gets better. More multidrug-resistant bacteria appear because of traditional antibiotic treatments, and illness prevention takes precedence over illness treatment. Probiotics may prevent future pathogens from colonizing, growing, and migrating as well as colonization resistance, the introduction of novel bacterial species, and paradigm shifts in our understanding of the causes of disease.