Daily use of lozenge containing arginine and probiotics may benefit children with dental caries

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-08-10T20:00:13+05:30 | Updated On 10 Aug 2023 8:06 PM IST

Daily use of lozenge containing arginine and probiotics may benefit children with dental caries suggests a new study published in the Journal of Dentistry.

A study was done to investigate the effect of daily use of a lozenge containing arginine and probiotics for 10–12 months on caries increment, gingivitis- and plaque occurrence in children aged 5–9 years.

In this placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel-grouped randomized clinical trial, 343 children were randomly assigned to one of the study arms (1:1). The intervention group (n = 172) received a lozenge containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, LGG® (DSM33156), Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei, L. CASEI 431® (DSM33451) and prebiotic (arginine 2%). The placebo group (n = 171) received an identical lozenge without arginine or probiotics. Primary canines and molars, and permanent first molars were examined clinically (d/D= ICDAS1–6) and radiographically (d/D = R1–6) at baseline and follow-up. Missing (m/M), sealed (s/S), and filled (f/F) surfaces (-s/-S) in both dentitions were also included. Utilizing clinical and radiographic scorings, caries experience was classified as dICDAS1–6msf-s (primary teeth), DICDAS1–6MSF-S (permanent teeth), d/DICDAS1–6 m/M-s/S-f/F-s/S (mixed dentition). A weighted and an unweighted score system was applied.

Results

The study was completed by 288 children. The dropout rate was 15%. The increase in ∆mean dICDAS3–6msf-s and ∆mean d/DICDAS3–6m/M-s/S-f/F-s/S was lower in the intervention group (p = 0.007). No differences were found for gingivitis- and plaque occurrence. No product-related side effects were reported. This study followed ICH-GCP including external monitoring.

Daily consumption of a lozenge containing prebiotic arginine and two strains of probiotics showed safe use and statistically significantly reduction in caries incrementbut no effect on the mean plaque or gingivitis occurrence in children. The use of a lozenge with arginine and probiotics combined has a promising potential as a supplementary tool for future management of caries.

The combination of prebiotic arginine and probiotics shows clinical potential as a supplementary approach to toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste in managing caries increment in children. A new era in the management of caries may be emerging.

Keywords: Randomized clinical trial; Caries; Probiotics; Arginine; Synbiotic; Pediatric dentistry

Reference:

Camilla Juhl Pørksen, Mette Kirstine Keller, Anders Damholt, Amalie Kruse Sigersted Frederiksen, Kim Rud Ekstrand, Merete Markvart, Tove Larsen, Azam Bakhshandeh,

The effect of a lozenge combining prebiotic arginine and probiotics on caries increment in children during 10–12 months, a randomized clinical trial, Journal of Dentistry, Volume 135,

2023, 104599, ISSN 0300-5712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2023.104599.

Keywords:

Daily, use, lozenge, containing, arginine, probiotics, may, benefit, children, with, dental, caries, Camilla Juhl Pørksen, Mette Kirstine Keller, Anders Damholt, Amalie Kruse Sigersted Frederiksen, Kim Rud Ekstrand, Merete Markvart, Tove Larsen, Azam Bakhshandeh, Journal of Dentistry

Dailyuselozengecontainingarginineprobioticsmaybenefitchildrenwithdentalcaries

Source : Journal of Dentistry

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751