Assessment of plaque regrowth with a probiotic toothpaste containing : A spectrophotometric study.

Background: Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer health benefits on the host. Commonly, most of the organisms ascribed as having probiotic properties belong to the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and milk is the most commonly used vehicle.

Objectives: The study was aimed at analyzing the biofilm formation by plaque regrowth method upon the usage of a probiotic toothpaste containing Lactobacillus paracasei by measuring the optical density using a spectrophotometer.

Materials And Methods: A commercially available probiotic toothpaste, PerioBiotic (spearmint flavored) from the company Designs for Health, has been tested. The toothpaste contains the strain L. paracasei, which has been found to co-aggregate with Streptococcus mutans (MS). The Plaque Glycolysis and Regrowth Method (PGRM) was used for the evaluation of the antimicrobial effects on plaque metabolism in vivo. PGRM is based on the observation that natural fasted dental plaque, sampled from different quadrants of the dentition, exhibits similar metabolic and regrowth properties when suspended at equal "biomass" in standardized media.

Conclusion: The results suggest that L. paracasei-based toothpaste, PerioBiotic, is effective in the reduction of MSmonospecies biofilm, but the activity appears short lived when high sucrose exposure is administered.