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Dental probiotics: Has a better way to fight bad breath finally been found?
This dental hygienist tried probiotics for herself. She was surprised and very happy with the results, and she wants her peers to be able to share the good news with their patients, especially those who suffer from bad breath.
Amber Metro-Sanchez, BA, RDH
Content Dam Rdh En Articles Print Volume 38 Issue 10 Content Dam Dental Probiotics Has A Better Way To Fight Bad Breath Finally Been Found
One of the most common concerns for patients in the dental chair is the battle with bad breath. It is also one of the most uncomfortable topics for patients to bring up during a dental appointment. Overall, about 25% of people suffer from malodor, and it has many social implications that affect a person’s overall confidence and well-being.1,2
Patients look to their dental professionals for answers to this problem, but are we providing the best solutions? Is there a better way to solve the problem of bad breath?
There are many causes for bad breath, including lack of oral hygiene, dry mouth, and ear-nose-throat issues. Eighty-five percent of the time breath malodor arises from insufficient oral hygiene, such as periodontitis, coating of the tongue, and lack of plaque control. These conditions in the mouth favor the formation and microbial degradation of offensive smelling volatile sulfur compounds (VSC).
Methyl mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, and dimethyl sulfide are three of the most well-known VSCs, which form from gram-negative anaerobic bacteria. Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs, and methyl mercaptan smells like rotten cabbage.3 Even more strange, the smell of dimethyl sulfide is comparable to rotten seaweed.
The advantage of using oral probiotics
Over-the-counter dental products used for fighting bad breath focus on masking the odor or attempting to kill bacterial culprits in the oral cavity. Some of these products specifically target VSCs. The problem with this is that bacteria repopulate quickly, so the relief from bad breath is usually short-lived.4 Another aspect to consider is that when a bacterial population is reduced, something always replaces it, whether good or bad. This is where dental probiotics step in to combat bad breath in an entirely different way.
Dental probiotics focus on promoting the growth of good bacteria in the oral cavity and curtailing the growth of pathogenic bacteria. There are normally more than 700 different bacterial species found in the human mouth.5 With dental probiotics, daily exposure helps to colonize the oral cavity with bacteria that do not produce VSCs. Research has shown that 85% of people who took oral probiotics for one week experienced a significant reduction in volatile sulfur compounds.4 Even more impressive is the fact that the majority of study participants maintained a reduced level of VSCs for two weeks following exposure to oral probiotics. With this treatment modality, there is finally potential for a more long-term solution to bad breath.
How dental probiotics differ from conventional probiotics
When most people think of “probiotics,” I imagine yogurt comes to many of their minds. It is common knowledge that we need beneficial bacteria for gut digestion to properly occur. One of the most well-known species is Lactobacillus, which is commonly found in yogurt and other fermented foods.6Bifidobacterium is another beneficial species that can be found in the gut days after birth. Saccharomyces boulardii is the only probiotic that is a yeast.
Dental probiotics are completely different from the probiotics needed for digestion. Specifically, the Streptococcus salivarius strains K12 and M18 have been found to be especially beneficial when it comes to the health of the oral cavity.3 In the study mentioned earlier, K12 is the strain that is effective in combating bad breath.4
Gut probiotics typically come in capsule form so they can reach the stomach and quickly begin to do their job. Oral probiotics, on the other hand, are typically in the form of a lozenge that is chewed or sucked on after normal oral care. Using a lozenge provides longer exposure time than other methods so that more bacteria are able to colonize the oral cavity.
Other benefits of dental probiotics
One of the most amazing things about oral probiotics is that they have multiple applications beyond simply treating oral malodor. Conditions such as dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and oral candidiasis are all inhibited by exposure to the K12 and M18 strains of S. salivarius.4 These additional benefits hold much promise in dentistry, as many patients have difficulty with home care and these probiotics are easy to use.
In the battle against dental caries, the M18 strain has a molecular mechanism that reduces plaque formation and increases oral pH. Specifically, this bacteria releases salivaricin M, a substance that limits the growth of the caries-causing bacterial species, such as Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus.7
In patients with gingivitis, M18 lozenges have been found to significantly reduce supragingival plaque, gingival inflammation, sulcular bleeding, and pocket depth.8 Both strains K12 and M18 have been found to be effective in reducing levels of P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and F. nucleatum-induced IL-6 and IL-8, which are typically indicators of periodontal disease.4
The multiple applications of dental probiotics could provide substantial benefits to patients who have ongoing issues with oral hygiene due to their ability level. Imagine in the future that a nursing home patient could receive a dental probiotic, along with his or her normal medications, as part of a regimen to positively affect the person’s oral health. It’s amazing to think how a little lozenge provided on a regular basis could help so many people so easily.
My personal experience with dental probiotics
While writing this article, I decided to try dental probiotics on myself as an experiment on their efficacy. I’ve always had problems with morning breath, and the possibility of waking up without that yucky taste in my mouth sounded appealing. I also have many issues with my sinuses and allergies, and these lead to my breath not being as fresh as I would like.
I bought a product called Pro-Dental by Hyperbiotics that I found on Amazon. The product had some great reviews, so I thought it was worth a try. Pro-Dental contains the S. salivarius strains K12 and M18 that were shown to be highly effective in the research. The probiotics come in a lozenge that can be either chewed or left to dissolve in the mouth. The recommended dosage is one to two tablets a day to be taken after brushing or using a mouth rinse. One lozenge contains three billion colony-forming units.9
When I began using the product, I was very skeptical, and I wondered how much it would really help me. But as the days went by, I was amazed by the results. When I woke up in the morning, I no longer noticed the stale breath that I was so accustomed to. My mouth felt fresh. The lozenges were also quite palatable, with a slightly sweet mint flavor.
An unexpected occurrence elevated my enthusiasm even more for dental probiotics. A week into my experiment, I was sitting on my couch with my six-year-old on my lap, and out of the blue she commented that my breath smelled. I asked her, “Good or bad?” knowing that I had not eaten or drank anything for several hours. With a smile, she said, “Good.” That’s just what I wanted to hear. I needed no further proof to show me how well dental probiotics work for breath issues, and I couldn’t wait to share my story with others.
Bad breath has been an ongoing concern for many dental patients and often holds them back from living their lives to the fullest. For too long patients have tried to treat this frustrating problem with only limited and short-term success. Now the science has shown that by adjusting the focus from destroying bad bacteria to promoting the growth of the good species, we have a new way to combat offending odors. Additionally, these bacteria have been shown to provide numerous benefits to further improve patients’ oral health. We finally have a promising and effective solution for bad breath that we can be excited to share with our patients.
Great story Nev, thanks for sharing.
I just stumbled across the following, which states that BLT is trading at 79% below their estimate of fair value
https://simplywall.st/stocks/nz/phar...ologies-shares
But on the subject of Blis (and a serious note), just ordered this morning my next delivery of tooth guard.
Found it helps my gum problem, which the last hygienist said "just floss and use mouth wash and will be fine in 3 weeks". 3 months later...….no good.
New hygienist said "keep doing what you're doing because its working".
Someone still selling.large parcel everyday at around 2pm.The sooner there gone the better.It wants to run but been held down for the moment.All good but will have to wait for ASM for any definitive movement in sp.GLTA
Better close than i expected.Good to see some confidence back
Nev
Might not have to wait?
maybe get Brian to be interviewed on the Sharesies webinar??
I don’t understand why Blis has gone down the road of supplying ingredients to companies that are competitors in the retail market. Yes, I get that they seem to be making good money from ingredients sales, but surely that is negatively effecting sales of their own product? Will the day come where they simply give up on Blis products/retailing and concentrate solely on providing ingredients?
Good question jk!The way i see it is its a good way of getting the Blis brand out to consumers as by the laws of the patent they have to state Blis by name and eventually those consumers will gravitate toward products made by Blis itself.In the mean time they are making good coin from supplying ingredients.Hope that makes some sense.(free promotion of Blis on numerous products and they're making revenue from it)
I found this interesting in light of new products been developed by Blis
Probiotic cosmetics skin cream
With mounting evidence demonstrating the gut’s impact on inflammation, immunity and even mental health, its microbiome has received increased levels of interest over the past few years. But what about the microbiome of our largest organ – the skin?
What are probiotic cosmetics?
“Probiotic cosmetics” are topical applications most frequently associated with skin hydration, anti ageing, acne, spots and redness (rosacea). Lumina Intelligence has identified three key health areas for probiotic skin care across 25 countries. These are:
Acne (23 products)
Eczema (34 products)
General skin health (343 products)
Why are they important?
Probiotic cosmetics could provide relief for skin conditions affecting a hefty chunk of the human population worldwide.
Occurrence rates of skin ailments like eczema (atopic dermatitis) and certain allergies are increasing in both the developed and developing worlds due to multiple factors from genetics to changing diets, hygiene habits and environmental factors. For example, 20% of infants and children contract eczema in many countries and it is estimated by groups like the British Skin Foundation that 3 out of 5 people will suffer from a skin disease at some point in their life.
Interest in, and understanding of, the skin microbiome is rising fast and leading to concepts such as the skin gut axis, where research is finding links between nutritional inputs such as probiotics and prebiotics and the gut and skin microbiomes. Research activity has reached the point where there are now congresses about this niche topic.
These factors underpin a rapidly evolving niche that is moving into the mainstream.
Skin Microbiome: Market size and growth
Lumina Intelligence’s data collected in January 2020 from 25 countries found 352 products from 186 global brand owners targeted at the skin microbiome – comprising 254 topical and 107 ingestible products.
In terms of specific health benefits:
23 of these products pertained to acne
34 of these products pertained to eczema
343 of these products pertained to skin health generally
The probiotic cosmetics market is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 12% during 2020 – 2030 (Fact.MR). This is unsurprising, given the niche nature of this market and the increasing level of interest from consumers and businesses alike, which we will explore more thoroughly in the next chapter.
Disagree completely.
There is little doubt that Blis has a checked history and been going a long time to get where they are today - turning over <$11m. After almost 19 years, I regard this as pretty poor.
From the outside, one of their large failings is sales, marketing and branding - and to date (it appears to me) they have failed to execute. Could say after many years finally starting to get some limited brand awareness, in NZ at least and some sales growth, even in ingredients - to allow for some funding to reinvest in marketing/brand.
Selling the ingredient would have to be profitable, and allow them to grow awareness of their probiotic strains. They have patents (presumably) and are the only place in town to get them. They should be able to control who they sell to and what channels products go into - for example are their any other K12 or M18 products sold in NZ not Blis branded?
This could be focusing on channels that are low-priority or more difficult for Blis themselves to access, or with product formats that Blis can't replicate, or to markets that have regulatory requirements Blis themselves can't meet with finished/branded products.
Would expect (hope) that they have been strategic and their ingredient customers are larger companies who have leverage, existing channels, size, resources, staffing, product breadth and scale to be able to build business/markets for Blis ingredients, and raise some consumer awareness.
IMO better to have a smaller slice of a big pie (where you supply the filling for the rest of the pie) than a big slice of a small pie that is very slow growing.
Talk of pies....must be lunchtime. :)
The microbiome is getting a whole lot of attention these days.
Currently reading The Human Superorganism by Rodney Dietert. He appears to be a recognised expert ('appears' because I don't have knowledge to be sure).
Anyway he says that up to 90% of the human body is foreign microbes, up to 1000 species, ie not the human genome. And that humans attempting to remove these looks like a (or the) key cause of a wide range of ailments including allergies, asthma, autism and a lot more.
So I am a Blis fan! And watching with interest for the release of a skin probiotic to add to UltraBlis and ToothGuard. Did I mention I'm a fan? But not a hypochondriac.
My understanding is that some of the Blis patents are due to expire shortly. Tried to research but unable to find the information. Could someone with the knowledge please let us know. Obviously Important.