Since 1996 WHN is the second oldest medical website on the net, second only to the American Medical Association, servicing over 35,000 physicians and scientists worldwide.

Non-Profit Trusted Source of Non-Commercial Health Information

“Good Bacteria” Promote Oral Health

Certain strains of lactic acid bacteria exert antimicrobial protection against oral pathogens.

Previous studies have reported potential benefits of specific serial strains to control dental diseases such as carries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Researchers from the International University of Catalonia (Spain) isolated and characterized seven strains of lactic acid bacteria that they identified to be resistant to oral conditions and have high antagonistic activity against oral pathogens. Noting that: “The strains showed high ability to adhere to oral tissues and they do not present any antibiotic resistance,” the study authors submit that: “These lactic acid bacteria show promising properties to be used as potential probiotics for improving oral health.”

Montserrat Bosch, Jose Nart Molina, Sergi Audivert, Miguel Angel Bonachera, Antonio Santos Alemany, Mari Carmen Fuentes, Jordi Cune.  “Isolation and characterization of probiotic strains for improving oral health.”  Archives of Oral Biology, 3 November 2011.