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Probiotics Can Boost Your Oral Health

Conventional brushing and flossing may not be enough to ward off deterioration of gums and teeth. Researchers have discovered a targeted probiotic that reduces indicators of plaque buildup, gingivitis, bleeding gums, and pocket depth between gums and tooth roots.

For many people, strict adherence to brushing and flossing twice daily may not be enough. The consequence is deterioration of gums and teeth with invariable periodontal disease.

Researchers have discovered a unique solution to ensure healthier gums and teeth as we age. It comes in the form of a targeted probiotic that has been found to work specifically in the mouth. This unique probiotic helps destroy disease-causing bacteria and replaces them with beneficial bacteria that protect teeth and gums.

In a revealing human study, subjects receiving the oral probiotic showed an impressive reduction in indicators of plaque buildup, gingivitis, bleeding gums, and pocket depth between gums and tooth roots.

Americans have an alarmingly high rate of gum disease. Beyond the potential for tooth loss, gum disease is associated with health problems throughout the entire body, including cardiovascular, brain, kidney, and bone diseases.

A major factor in the development of tooth and gum disease is an imbalance in the normal oral microbial community of the mouth, in which disease-causing organisms overwhelm those that contribute to good health.

Researchers have discovered a targeted oral probiotic that is able to “safeguard” the oral cavity, help minimize bad bacteria, and replace it with beneficial bacteria instead.

Studies have shown that oral probiotics improve gum health and reduce risk factors for dangerous periodontal (gum) disease. That risk reduction, in turn, translates into substantially lower risk for a host of systemic disease processes commonly associated with aging.

The Underlying Cause of Gum Disease

How can something as seemingly simple as gum disease have such potentially drastic health effects throughout the body? The answer comes down to one of the underlying causes of gum disease, which is the excessive growth of pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms in the oral cavity. This creates the twin threats of infection and inflammation, which feed on each other in a vicious cycle and can have disastrous effects on many body systems.

Present in everyone, the oral microbiome, is a complex set of interacting microbial populations, which when in a healthy balance, support and protect the delicate mucous membranes as well as the surfaces of the teeth themselves.

Shifts in the normal microbial community, however, lead to a host of problems, ranging from dental caries (“cavities”) that arise from excessive acid-producing bacteria, to gum disease that contributes to tooth loss and diseases in parts of the body far removed from the mouth itself.

Our growing recognition of both the severity of periodontal disease and its relationship to an imbalance in the oral microbial populations have led to calls for use of oral probiotics as effective preventive measures, in an effort to re-establish a healthy microbial community in the mouth.30,31 The results are extremely promising.

Beneficial Organisms Destroy Dangerous Germs

The principle behind all probiotics is simple: Replace unhealthful or dangerous organisms with those that contribute directly or indirectly to human health. The end result should be a reduction in the population of the “bad guys,” and the establishment of a more protective environment.

S. salivarius strain BLIS M18 is one of the “good guys.” It competes with dangerous oral bacteria that cause or exacerbate periodontal disease, and has been shown to prevent and improve parameters of gingivitis and periodontitis.

The Underlying Cause of Gum Disease

How can something as seemingly simple as gum disease have such potentially drastic health effects throughout the body? The answer comes down to one of the underlying causes of gum disease, which is the excessive growth of pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms in the oral cavity. This creates the twin threats of infection and inflammation, which feed on each other in a vicious cycle and can have disastrous effects on many body systems.

Present in everyone, the oral microbiome, is a complex set of interacting microbial populations, which when in a healthy balance, support and protect the delicate mucous membranes as well as the surfaces of the teeth themselves.

 

Shifts in the normal microbial community, however, lead to a host of problems, ranging from dental caries (“cavities”) that arise from excessive acid-producing bacteria, to gum disease that contributes to tooth loss and diseases in parts of the body far removed from the mouth itself.

 

Our growing recognition of both the severity of periodontal disease and its relationship to an imbalance in the oral microbial populations have led to calls for use of oral probiotics as effective preventive measures, in an effort to re-establish a healthy microbial community in the mouth.

Beneficial Organisms Destroy Dangerous Germs

The principle behind all probiotics is simple: Replace unhealthful or dangerous organisms with those that contribute directly or indirectly to human health. The end result should be a reduction in the population of the “bad guys,” and the establishment of a more protective environment.

S. salivarius strain BLIS M18 is one of the “good guys.” It competes with dangerous oral bacteria that cause or exacerbate periodontal disease, and has been shown to prevent and improve parameters of gingivitis and periodontitis. It accomplishes this through numerous mechanisms of action.

First, S. salivarius produces enzymes that help break down dental plaque, which is a major threat to both tooth and gum health.32 Plaque is the sticky film of bacteria that forms on teeth, and it’s the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease. When plaque hardens, it becomes tartar, a mineralized substance with a rough surface that can become home to still more plaque and more dangerous microbes.

Another benefit of S. salivarius is that it has been shown to neutralize acids to maintain a healthy oral pH. A healthy oral pH is important because having a low pH demineralizes teeth, which creates an environment in which bad bacteria thrive.

 

Unlike many other probiotic formulations, S. salivarius is capable of colonizing the mouth and gums (rather than simply sticking around until the entire applied dose is gone). Once it has established its colonies in the mouth, S. salivarius competes with the harmful bacteria that cause tooth decay and periodontal disease to reduce their relative abundance.

It accomplishes this as a result of its ability to secrete bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) known as lantibiotics. Technically, lantibiotics are bacterially produced antimicrobial substances that kill competing organisms, but think of them as the weapons the bacterium uses to keep less savory organisms at bay. And although S. salivarius is a common bacteria in the mouth, the more beneficial BLIS strains are only found in 2% of individuals.36

Laboratory studies show that colonies of S. salivarius-producing lantibiotics can inhibit the growth of oral disease-causing bacteria associated with periodontitis.

 

One important study showed that in addition to inhibiting the growth of dangerous bacteria, S. salivarius BLIS M18 can also reduce levels of inflammatory cytokines associated with gingivitis and periodontitis. This is an important characteristic in breaking the infection-inflammation-infection cycle that accelerates gum disease and threatens the rest of the body.

Oral Probiotic Improves Gum Disease

Once scientists knew that oral probiotics produced such beneficial antibacterial actions in lab and preclinical studies, they were ready to test their effects in real life. A number of human trials have now been completed, with exciting results that demonstrate the positive impact of regular supplementation with an oral probiotic.

 

A randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted to determine the effects of S. salivarius BLIS M18 on a number of the most important clinical parameters of periodontal health. This study evaluated indicators that dental hygienists use to determine the health of gums.

Plaque index score: a 0-to-3 scale ranging from no plaque to an abundance of soft matter within the gingival pocket (the pocket of soft tissue between gum and tooth).42

Gingival index score: a 0-to-3 scale ranging from normal gingiva (gums) to severe inflammation with marked redness and swelling, including ulceration and tendency of spontaneous bleeding.43

Sulcular bleeding index: a 0-to-5 score grading tendency of the gums to bleed on probing, ranging from healthy-looking gums with no bleeding on probing to spontaneous bleeding, change in color, and marked swelling.43

Probing pocket depth: the depth to which a dental probe can be passed between the inner margin of the gum and the tooth root. The deeper the pocket depth, the worse the evidence of periodontal disease.44

The study involved both male and female patients with moderate and severe gingivitis (scores of 2 or 3 on gingival index score), and moderate periodontitis (probing pocket depth of up to 6 mm). In order to optimize the subjects’ periodontal health, subjects underwent a thorough cleaning and scraping of the teeth to remove plaque and tartar at the outset of the study.

After the initial visit, half of the subjects received a lozenge containing S. salivarius BLIS M18, while the other half received no treatment, acting as a control group. The subjects took lozenges daily for 30 days, though the researchers observed them for a total of 60 days in order to determine if the supplement would continue to have beneficial effects after subjects stopped taking it.

 

(03/20/2023)
by Life Extension

More Information: https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2016/1/innovative-solution-for-oral-health

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