Probiotics - A New Era in Eradication of Dental Caries

Abstract

Dental caries is a microbial disease caused by oral biofilm containing Streptococcus mutans, leading to destruction of tooth structure. Despite the use of age old conventional physical and chemotherapeutic methods for caries management, dental caries still continues to be the most prevalent form of oral infectious disease. With better understanding of the Ecology and microbiology of the oral cavity and with the advent of Minimal Invasive Dentistry, there has been a shift in the treatment modalities of caries. Probiotics have been recently introduced in dentistry and is one of the newer approaches in caries management. They have been used successfully for several years mainly for gastrointestinal disorders. Most probiotic strains belong to Lactobacilli or bifidobacteria group. The aim of this comprehensive review is to present an update about the recent advances in probiotic use for the prevention of dental caries. Keywords: Dental caries, probiotics, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus mutans3