[Hello, Health] Do Oral Probiotics Contribute to Oral Health?

Ilgan Sports / 09.01.2020.

(Image provided by: TONGROIMAGES Inc.) 10 billion bacteria in the mouth, which are either beneficial or harmful, coexist in a balance. A disturbance in that balance, which is due to stress, the use of mouthwashes, and such, triggers the proliferation of harmful bacteria, thereby causing oral diseases. 

We are suddenly surprised by our own breath while wearing face masks to ensure our safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many causes of bad breath, but the main cause of bad breath is the bacteria in the mouth. As regards oral diseases including halitosis, periodontal disease, and dental caries, oral bacteria are major offenders. Maintaining good oral health is, therefore, important. ‘Probiotics that promote oral health’ are recently drawing our attention as a means of maintaining good oral health since they have beneficial effects for oral health, or more specifically, inhibitory effects against harmful bacteria in the mouth like some probiotic strains have inhibitory effects against harmful bacteria in the gut. 

People Taking Oral Probiotics

“I took it for a month. Now my mouth is not dry in the morning and afternoon. It even reduced my bad breath.” (ID gkss****)

“I brushed and brushed, but my tongue was still white. After I started to take probiotics, my pinky tongue says hello to me as soon as I brush my tongue.” (qudd****)

These are reviews for probiotic products posted on the message board shared by online communities interested in bad breath treatments. One of the reviews tell you what the writer of the review had experienced. The writer says that the writer bought and took a probiotic product for oral health after hearing that it works and that the writer actually found it effective. Now that wearing masks is the new normal, we are suddenly confronted with our own breath, which is why probiotics that promote oral health are drawing our attention. 

Kim Doo-sik(67), who has been leading an internet community interested in oral probiotics since 2012, said: “I can’t say that the number of community’s members or posts greatly increased compared with that of the last year, but the numbers did increase. Most people visit us because they are interested in oral probiotics due to their bad breath.” Kim also told us that he/she himself/herself has been also taking probiotics that promote oral health since the early 2000s. “My daughter was suffering from bad breath and I was looking for information provided by people at home and abroad to help her. I found about probiotics that promote oral health at that time. I’ve been taking it so far. On the day that I took probiotics, my breath smelled definitely better than that on the day that I didn’t take probiotics,” Kim said. “I am always worried about gingivitis because my gums are sensitive. I heard that probiotics that promote oral health is also helpful in preventing periodontal disease. This is the reason why I have been taking probiotics steadily and every day,” Kim added. 

Inhibition of Activities of Pathogenic Bacteria That Cause Halitosis, Periodontitis, and Such by Beneficial Bacteria in the Mouth

Probiotics are living not only in the gut, but also in the mouth. Some say that there are 700 species of bacteria, or 10 billion bacteria living in your mouth. Those bacteria, however, can be divided into two groups, or more specifically, beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria. Both groups of bacteria coexist in a balance. 

(Image provided by TONGROIMAGES Inc.) Bacteria in the mouth cause oral diseases such as halitosis, periodontal disease, and dental caries. 

However, stress, improper way of brushing, the food that you eat, the use of mouthwash full of chemicals, misuse of antibiotics, and such can destroy the balance of bacteria. A disturbance in that balance can cause not only bad breath, but also various oral diseases including periodontal disease and dental caries. Periodontal disease, the No.1 reason outpatients received a treatment last year, is caused by bacteria in dental plaque. Those bacteria cause gingivitis around a tooth. Gingivitis destroys tissues, which are supporting the tooth, and can lead to loose or loss of teeth. A dry mouth and bad breath in the morning are also caused by bacteria proliferated overnight. Some harmful bacteria survive from the nighttime brush, proliferate in the deeper side of oral cavity, and produce volatile sulphur compounds(VSC) which are mostly to blame for bad breath.

Problems caused by oral bacteria are so much more than oral problems. Many studies shown that bacteria that cause gingivitis spread to other important organs via the bloodstream and cause serious systemic diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke. You shall never underestimate the things that oral bacteria can do. 

Accordingly, some argue that we need to have more beneficial bacteria in the mouth than harmful bacteria in order to maintain not only good oral health, but also whole body health. In fact, several studies have shown that beneficial bacteria detect the bacteria which cause various oral health conditions such as periodontal diseases, dental caries, and halitosis and inhibit the activities of such pathogenic bacteria. In 2006, the research team led by Dr. Oh Jong-Suk of the Medical School at Chonnam National University published results of the clinical trial, which used 70 participants, in ‘Caries Research’, a journal printed in Switzerland and covered by SCI. According to the findings of this clinical trial, dental plaque produced by bacteria that cause dental caries was reduced by 20.7% after ‘Weissella cibaria(a probiotic strain)’ intake. The research team led by Dr. Lee Dong-Sook of the College of Nursing at Kangwon National University, meanwhile, published results of the clinical trial in Journal of Medicinal Food, a journal printed in Korea and covered by SCI. The clinical test used 100 participants and found that the level of bad breath in participants who took tablets containing Weissella cibaria was reduced by 69.6% after 4 weeks with Weissella cibaria intake, compared with that in the participants of the control group. 

Dr. Oh Beom-Jo of the family medicine department of Boramae Medical Center argued that oral probiotics affect one’s oral health. Dr. Oh said: “Beneficial and harmful bacteria coexist in the mouth, stomach, and the large intestine alike. Beneficial bacteria inhibit the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to the areas, which are prone to caries or periodontitis, and are helpful in getting rid of such bacteria. A balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria is essential for oral health and gut health alike.        Such a balance can be destroyed by poor dental health and eating habits and the use of strong mouthwash, all of which kill beneficial bacteria and a disturbance in the balance of bacteria causes problems.” Dr. Oh, however, told us that oral probiotics are no panacea. 

Dr. Oh also added: “Probiotic bacteria in the mouth are more affected by the food that you eat than those in the gut. Spicy foods immediately affect your mouth. In particular, frequent consumption of carbonated drinks or foods and drinks that are high in sugar has serious and harmful effects on the balance of bacteria in oral cavity.” Dr. Oh emphasized: “Taking probiotics will improve your halitosis, periodontal disease, and such only if accompanied by healthy eating habits and good dental habits.”

More than 100 Probiotic Products from Approximately 30 Countries… Korean-Made Probiotic Products were Launched in 2017

OraCMU inhibiting Fn, harmful bacteria(Image provided by: OraPharm Inc.)

Probiotic bacteria in oral cavity are not as well-known as probiotic bacteria in the gut. While global research on oral probiotics has been started since the early 2000s, research in Korea has become active only in recent years and, as a result, most of the probiotic products available on the Korean market are foreign-made. Currently, more than 100 probiotic products, which promote oral health, from approximately 30 countries including the U.S., European countries, and Japan are available on the market and products made in Sweden, Denmark, Spain, or such are popular among consumers.

The only probiotic products made in Korea are the ones manufactured by OraPharm Inc., a professional oral probiotics company. OraPharm developed probiotic products containing 4 Weissella cibaria strains, which were discovered from the saliva of 460 Korean children with health mouth by the research team led by Dr. Oh Jong-Suk and found to have excellent functions in safety, oral colonization, and control of harmful bacteria. OraPharm’s products have been available on the market since 2017.

“Those 4 probiotic strains are known as the first and the only probiotics developed in Korea that promote oral health. They are also highly rated as superior probiotics that promote oral health in terms of functions in oral colonization, control of harmful bacteria, and such, compared with probiotics provided by foreign companies,” the staff of OraPharm said.

Original Source: Ilgan Sports(https://bit.ly/3dsBMiS)