Probiotics have a role in maintaining oral health through interaction with oral microbiome, thus contributing to healthy microbial equilibrium. The nature and composition of any individual microbiome impacts the general health, being a major contributor to oral health. The emergence of drug resistance and the side effects of available antimicrobials have restricted their use in an array of prophylactic options. Indeed, some new strategies to prevent oral diseases are based on manipulating oral microbiota, which is provided by probiotics. Currently, no sufficient substantial evidence exists to support the use of probiotics to prevent, treat or manage oral cavity diseases. At present, probiotic use did not cause adverse effects or increased risks of caries or periodontal diseases. This implicates no strong evidence against treatment using probiotics. In this review, we try to explore the use of probiotics in prevention, treatment and management of some oral cavity diseases and the possibilities of developing designer probiotics for the next generation of oral and throat complimentary healthcare.

The present study aims to isolate Lactobacillus species from locally fermented vegetables and to characterize selected isolates for their probiotic potential. Seventeen Lactobacillus strains (9 Lactobacillus plantarum 1, 3 Lactobacillus pentosus, 2 Lactobacillus brevis 1, 2 Lactobacillus brevis 3 and 1 Lactobacillus salivarius) were isolated and tested for their probiotic potential. This included survival in gastrointestinal simulated juice, antagonistic activity against Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolate, bile tolerance and antibiotic resistance to 8 antibiotics. Most isolates, especially Lactobacillus plantarum 1, were tolerant to the acidity and intestinal conditions after exposure for three and four hours, respectively, with reduction less than one log cycle of the starting CFU/ml. The same trend was observed in respect to bile tolerance with slight variations. All isolates inhibited the growth of the tested pathogens and were the most effective against MRSA isolate. As for antibiotic resistance, it was pronounced against kanamycin, ampicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline. Some isolates (M3, M5, M6, M12, B14) showed a resistance to 6 or more antibiotics of those tested. These results prove that the traditionally fermented vegetables are a good source for probiotic Lactobacillus. However, further in vivo studies are needed to substantiate the potential of these isolates.

Mahasneh SA, Horner K, Cunliffe J, Al-Salehi S, Sengupta A, AlHadidi A. Guidelines on radiographic imaging as part of root canal treatment: a systematic review with a focus on review imaging after treatment. International Endodontic Journal, 51, e238-e249, 2018.Aim To identify guidelines on endodontics which make recommendations relating to post-root canal treatment radiological review imaging, to make an objective assessment of their quality using the AGREE tool and to examine the evidence cited in support of their recommendations. Methodology The primary sources to identify published guidelines were MEDLINE (Ovid â ) and EMBASE. The search aim was to identify guidelines pertaining to the post-root canal treatment follow-up recommendations published from 1946 with the final search date being 26 June 2016. The primary search was supplemented by searching Internet search engines and several websites that might have guidelines. The guidelines obtained from the search end-resultwere assessed for quality and scientific evidence using the AGREE II instrument. Similarities and differences in the recommendations were identified.Results Thirty guidelines were identified, seven of which met the inclusion criteria. Two guidelines used and clearly described the methods for obtaining scientific evidence from which the recommendations were set. The recommendations varied, particularly as regards the timing of the first review radiograph. Some guidelines lacked supporting evidence.Conclusions The recommendations for post-root canal treatment radiographic follow-up varied amongst the identified guidelines. However, the methodology for obtaining the scientific evidence was poorly described in most of the guidelines. Guideline development groups should use the AGREE II instrument as a guide to produce higher quality guidelines.