The administration of probiotics bacteria can alleviate bad breath. This is the result of an analysis of several studies that examined the effect of probiotics on noticeable and measurable bad breath. Accordingly, probiotics administered through chewing gum or lozenges primarily reduce the formation of volatile - and smelly - sulfur compounds, especially hydrogen sulfide. The group led by Longjiang Li from Sichuan University in Chengdu (China) has published their study in the specialist magazine “BMJ Open”.

Around a quarter of all people worldwide suffer from unpleasant bad breath, medically known as halitosis, at least temporarily. Bad breath is chronic in around six percent of people. In more than 90 percent of cases, microorganisms in the oral cavity are responsible for the smell; Diseases of the ear and nose area or the gastrointestinal tract are also possible causes.

In the mouth, it is primarily bacteria in the recesses of the tongue that produce foul-smelling gases by breaking down organic substances. The microorganisms can also reside on the teeth and in gum pockets. Such bacteria can cause inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and the periodontium (periodontitis). Unless there is an underlying disease outside the oral cavity, halitosis is often treated with scaling, professional teeth cleaning and tongue cleaning. Patients are typically shown how to improve their daily oral hygiene. Sometimes mouthwashes, antibiotics and so on are also included Probiotics have been used for several years.

Li and colleagues found 238 studies in medical databases that examined the effects of probiotics on bad breath. For the analysis, however, they only used high-quality studies with a control group that also had to contain certain data. This left seven studies with a total of 278 participants. In the studies, people assessed the extent of bad breath, and in some, volatile sulfur compounds in the air they breathed were also measured. In addition, some of the plaque on the tongue and teeth was examined.

The statistical analysis of the study results showed a significant reduction in noticeable bad breath when the patients were administered probiotic bacteria. These bacteria included Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus salivarius and Weissella cibaria. And just from these Streptococcus salivarius consists of the PRObiom Dental.