Background: To evaluate the effects of the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus salivarius on caries risk factors.\nMethods: The study was performed in 64 healthy volunteers to evaluate the effects of L. salivarius-containing\ntablets on caries risk factors. The participants were divided randomly into four groups, and took tablets containing\nL. salivarius WB21, L. salivarius TI 2711, OvalgenÃ?® DC (antibody against glucosyltransferase from Streptococcus\nmutans), or xylitol. Levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, amount of salivary flow, salivary pH, and salivary\nbuffering capacity were assessed before and after taking the tablets. Subsequently, a short-term administration\ntrial using L. salivarius WB21-containing tablets was performed in eight healthy volunteers. The participants took\nL. salivarius WB21-containing tablets (2.0 Ã?â?? 109 colony forming units/day) for 2 weeks, and the numbers of mutans\nstreptococci in saliva were counted.\nResults: The levels of mutans streptococci seemed to decrease in the L. salivarius WB21, TI 2711, and OvalgenÃ?®\nDC groups compared to the xylitol group, with no significant differences between the groups. Lactobacilli levels\nsignificantly increased in the L. salivarius WB21 and TI 2711 groups compared to the other groups. Concerning\nsalivary flow and salivary pH, no significant differences were observed between the groups. The salivary buffering\ncapacity significantly increased in the L. salivarius TI 2711 group (P = 0.003) and OvalgenÃ?® DC group (P = 0.002)\ncompared to the xylitol group. The short-term administration trial showed that the L. salivarius WB21-containing\ntablets significantly decreased the number of mutans streptococci (P = 0.039).\nConclusion: L. salivarius-containing tablets were suggested to increase resistance to caries risk factors.
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