BLIS K12 Probiotic May Reduce Halitosis in Children
A new study of 208 children aged 6–9 found BLIS K12 significantly reduced halitosis compared to conventional brushing and flossing, tongue scraping, and/or chlorhexidine wash.
Photo © iStockphoto.com/shironosov
New study results suggest oral-health probiotic BLIS K12 (Streptococcus salivarius K12) may significantly reduce halitosis in children aged 6–9 compared to conventional brushing and flossing, tongue scraping, and/or chlorhexidine wash. BLIS K12 developer Blis Technologies (Dunedin, New Zealand) and North American distributor Stratum Nutrition (Saint Charles, MO) celebrated the results of the large-scale study, which the firms note build on previous research showing similar benefits for oral malodor.
Writing in Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry, researchers studied oral-health outcomes in 208 male and female children aged 6–9 who presented with “mild-to-strong oral malodor,” but were otherwise healthy. For three months, study participants were assigned to follow one of four oral-hygiene regimens: (A) conventional brushing and flossing alone, (B) conventional brushing and flossing plus tongue scraping, (C) conventional brushing and flossing plus tongue scraping and chlorhexidine wash, or (D) conventional brushing and flossing plus tongue scraping, chlorhexidine wash, and BLIS K12 in a once-daily slow-dissolving tablet containing more than 1 x 109 colony forming units of the probiotic.
Researchers measured participant oral malodor using the organoleptic test (OLT) at one week after beginning intervention and three months after beginning intervention. They found that group D had superior OLT scores versus groups A and B after one week. Following three weeks of the interventions, group D had superior OLT scores over all other groups, with a “clinically meaningful” 78% of participants in group D showing major and moderate OLT score improvements by the three-month follow-up. Groups A, B, and C, meanwhile, showed OLT score improvements of 20%, 43%, and 45%, respectively, after three-months of intervention, Stratum Nutrition noted.
“Using the gold standard assessment of oral malodor, a study design that more closely approximates real-world protocols recommended by dentists, and a clinically meaningful group size, the investigators have found that add-on supplementation with BLIS K12 significantly reduced oral malodor, to varying degrees, in virtually every child,” said Joseph L. Evans, PhD, executive manager of research and development for Stratum Nutrition, in the study announcement. “While a broad-spectrum, anti-bacterial mouthwash might exhibit a short-term benefit for oral malodor in selected individuals, chronic use is not recommended as it increases the risk of side effects, likely alters the composition of the oral bacterial microbiome, and apparently loses efficacy, as reported in this study.”
BLIS K12, which received a “No Objection” letter from FDA earlier this year for its self-affirmed Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) notification, has been studied for several other oral-health benefits in children as well, including prevention of recurrent tonsillitis.
Read more:
BLIS K12 Probiotic Helps Fight Tonsillitis in Children, Study Suggests
Probiotic BLIS M18 Defends Against Dental Caries in Children?
BLIS K12 Receives “No Objection” GRAS Letter from FDA
Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com
References:
Jamali Z et al., “Impact of chlorhexidine pretreatment followed by probiotic Streptococcus salivarius strain K12 on halitosis in children: a randomised controlled clinical trial,” Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry, vol. 14, no. 4 (August 2016): 305–313
