The consumption of milk supplemented with probiotics decreases the occurrence of caries and the salivary concentration of hβD-3 in children.

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of milk supplemented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1 on the occurrence of caries and the salivary concentration of human β-defensin-3 (hβD-3) in preschool children with high caries risk.

Materials And Methods: A sample of 42 children was randomly assigned to two groups; children in the intervention group were given 150 mL of milk supplemented with 10 CFU/mL of Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1, while children in the control group were given standard milk, for 10 months. The occurrence of dental caries was assessed using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS), and the concentration of hβD-3 was measured in unstimulated saliva using an ELISA test at baseline and after the intervention.

Results: There was an increase in the number of teeth with carious lesions (d mft) in the control group, and this increase was statistically significant (p = 0.0489). The concentration of hβD-3 in saliva from the intervention group decreased from 597.91 to 126.29 pg/mL (p = 0.0061), unlike in the control group, where no change in hβD-3 salivary concentration was found.

Conclusions: These findings showed that regular intake of probiotic-supplemented milk in preschool children with high caries risk decreased the occurrence of caries and the salivary levels of hβD-3.

Clinical Relevance: Our results suggest the need for developing and implementing probiotic supplementation, as adjuvants to the conventional treatments for caries and allow to considerate the salivary levels of hβD-3 as markers of oral tissue homeostasis.