Effects of Lactobacillus Reuteri Lozenges (Prodentis) as Adjunctive Therapeutic Agent in Non-Surgical Therapy of Periodontitis

Summary Background/Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus reuteri lozenges as an adjunctive therapeutic agent in combination with scaling and root planing in a randomized, clinical trial of volunteers with periodontitis stage IV. Material and Methods: The study included 40 patients diagnosed with periodontitis divided into 2 groups of 20 patients by random sample method. The first group of patients used Lactobacillus reuteri lozenges after nonsurgical periodontal therapy for a period of 40 days while the second group of patients was treated with non-surgical periodontal therapy without lozenges. Periodontal clinical parameters were registered for all patients before treatment and after 40 days. Samples of saliva from patients before and 40 days after treatment were analyzed by the PCR method for pathogens Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia. Assessments were made on day 0 before treatment for patients of both groups and after 40 days. Results: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis show a statistically significant difference between the two study groups. Results were not statistically significant for Prevotella intermedia (P= 0.5598). Conclusions: The present study confirms the positive effects of L. reuteri lozenges after non-surgical periodontal therapy and the maintenance phase of periodontal treatment. Considering the beneficial effects of probiotics, L.reuteri could serve as a useful adjunct or maybe even as an alternative to periodontal treatment when scaling and root planing might be contraindicated or has to be postponed.