Probiotics and Prebiotics for Oral Health

Wim TEUGHELS

KU Leuven

The oral cavity contains a unique microbiology which resides in close proximity with the host and its immune system. This microbial ecology is normally well in balance with its host. However, local and systemic factors can lead to disruption of this balance. Such dysbiosis underlies tooth decay, periodontal disease bad breath and many other oral diseases. Whereas antimicrobial resistance development is also affecting the oral microbiota, researchers are exploring more and more alternative ways to interfere with the oral microbiota and/or inflammatory response. Probiotics have been explored now for over 15 years and show encouraging clinical benefits. Prebiotics are just recently being explored in in vitro settings and also show some potential impact. This lecture will focus on the current clinical evidence for the use of probiotics for oral health and will introduce the first prebiotic data for oral health.