Reuterinos^® as adjuvant for peri-implant treatment: A pilot study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lozenges-containing Lactobacillus reuteri as an adjuvant treatment of peri-implant mucositis and to detect the level of L. reuteri colonization in the peri-implant tissues of treated patients. A total of 10 patients were selected. Subjects with at least one implant affected by peri-implant mucositis, with gingival index (GI) of ⩾2 in each quadrant, evaluated at the buccal aspect of all teeth. Patients included in the study were partially edentulous and had implants with mucositis or peri-implantitis. Implants with radiographic bone loss of ⩾5 mm and/or ⩾50% of the implant length were excluded, and only one implant per patient was included. Each patient received L. reuteri–containing lozenges. Microbiological sampling was performed at baseline and on day 28 and analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Our results indicate that the use of the probiotic did not influence the peri-implant microbiota in a statistically significant way, although there was a reduction in the number of periodontal and peri-implant species. The lack of statistically significant microbiological changes could be explained either by the small sample population or by the short evaluation period. Therefore, the poor colonization of L. reuteri in the peri-implant pockets can be explained by the different anatomical and histological characteristics of the interface of the dental–gingival unit with respect to the periodontal sulcus. The administration of a daily lozenge of L. reuteri for 4 weeks had a limited effect on the microbiological analysis. Probiotics provide an alternative therapeutic approach to consider in the prevention and treatment of peri-implant diseases, but further long-term prospective studies with standardized variables are needed.

Probiotics in Oral Health and Disease: A Systematic Review

“…There were no clinical and microbiological benefits from the administration of the probiotics. Similar negative results were obtained by Lauritano et al [63], who evaluated the daily consumption of L. reuteri tablets for 28 days in patients with peri-implant mucositis, by Peña et al [64] who studied the addition for 1 month of L. reuteri DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA in patients with peri-implant mucositis who received mechanical therapy and 0.12% chlorhexidine 15 days before the start of probiotic intervention, by Galofré et al [65] who also evaluated the effects of administration of L. reuteri DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 5289 in patients with peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis for 30 days, and by Hallström et al [29] who administered L. reuteri DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 5289 in patients with peri-implant mucositis for 3 months. Mongardini et al [66] also found no clinical benefits after 14-days administration of L. plantarum and L. brevis on patients with experimental peri-implant mucositis.…”

Do Probiotics Cause a Shift in the Microbiota of Dental Implants—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…After the removal of duplicates, 199 remained. Eighteen full-text articles were assessed, and ultimately, 7 ( Flichy-Fernández et al., 2015 ; Hallström et al., 2016 ; Galofré et al., 2018 ; Tada et al., 2018 ; Lauritano et al., 2019 ; Peña et al., 2019 ; Laleman et al., 2020 ) papers were included in the qualitative synthesis and 4 in the meta-analysis synthesis ( Flichy-Fernández et al., 2015 ; Galofré et al., 2018 ; Peña et al., 2019 ; Laleman et al., 2020 ), as illustrated in Figure 1B .…”

“…The study characteristics are summarized in Table 2 . Seven intervention studies investigating the effects from probiotic supplements to the non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis were included ( Flichy-Fernández et al., 2015 ; Hallström et al., 2016 ; Galofré et al., 2018 ; Tada et al., 2018 ; Lauritano et al., 2019 ; Peña et al., 2019 ; Laleman et al., 2020 ). All studies were placebo-controlled, blinded, and randomized.…”

Efficacy of Probiotics as Adjunctive Therapy to Nonsurgical Treatment of Peri-Implant Mucositis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The reasons for excluding specific studies are summarized in Table 1 . One study reported probiotic therapy without nonsurgical mechanical therapy ( Flichy-Fernández et al, 2015 ), and one study lacked the data of clinical examination of the implant inflammation ( Lauritano et al, 2019 ). The other study was excluded because it was written in Russian ( Ahmedbeyli et al, 2019 ).…”