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. 2024 Sep 26;12(11):8651-8674.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4473. eCollection 2024 Nov.

The strategic role of biotics in dental caries prevention: A scoping review

Morteza Banakar  1   2 , Gustavo Vicentis Oliveira Fernandes  3 , Shahroo Etemad-Moghadam  1 , Roland Frankenberger  4 , Maryam Pourhajibagher  1 , Majid Mehran  2 , Mohammad Hossein Yazdi  5 , Roza Haghgoo  2 , Mojgan Alaeddini  1
Affiliations

The strategic role of biotics in dental caries prevention: A scoping review

Morteza Banakar et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

Dental caries is a global oral health issue that is prevalent and preventable. Biotics (probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, and postbiotics) are recommended as low-cost methods for preventing dental caries. This scoping review aimed to critically review the scientific evidence concerning the role of biotics in caries prevention and maintaining oral health benefits. A systematic search was conducted in several databases from 2012 onward, using specific keywords. The search resulted in 69 articles. While there is limited research on the mechanism of biotics in preventing caries, numerous studies have investigated the impacts of probiotics on decreasing caries risk factors. Probiotics can reduce cariogenic bacteria, reduce acidogenic bacteria, increase pH, and produce antimicrobial compounds. Probiotics can be used as a therapeutic approach to manage caries by restoring eubiosis at the host-microbial interface, which may not be accomplished with traditional therapies. Its positive effect on reducing dental caries is influenced by the choice of potent probiotic strains, appropriate dosage, treatment period, vehicle, and microbial interaction with the host. Specific oral bacteria have also been shown to utilize prebiotics such as urea and arginine, increasing pH levels. This highlights the potential of combining prebiotic and probiotic bacteria for caries prevention. In addition, this review is focused on bacterial-derived compounds, namely postbiotics, due to their valuable effects in preventing caries. Biotics have demonstrated potential in preventing dental caries and maintaining oral health. Further research is needed to optimize their use and explore the potential of postbiotics for caries prevention.

Keywords: cariogenic bacteria; dental caries; oral microbiota; prebiotic; probiotic; symbiotic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Summary of interactions between biotics and oral health.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics (Favero et al., 2022).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Flow diagram of screened records.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Stages of dental biofilm (plaque) formation.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Role of biotics in dental caries prevention.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
A roadmap toward the postbiotic therapy (Favero et al., 2022).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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