L. reuteri in Supportive Periodontal Therapy—Are There Already Clinical Effects after 3 Months with One Lozenge a Day? A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a clinical effect of Lactobacillus
reuteri in supportive periodontal therapy can already be detected with a minimum dose of one
tablet a day and a minimum observation and intake period of 3 months. Materials and Methods:
28 patients with stage III and IV periodontitis undergoing periodontal follow-up were randomly
divided into two groups receiving a lozenge containing L. reuteri or a placebo preparation daily
for 90 days. After 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, the parameters bleeding on probing (BoP), plaque control
record (PCR), periodontal probing depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded in
the test and control groups. Results: The results sed a different effect of L. reuteri on the respective
patients. In certain patients, clinical parameters worsened or remained largely unchanged. However,
in other patients, there were positive effects on the clinical parameters. In the overall analysis, BoP
was the only clinical parameter that was statistically significantly reduced. Conclusions: The oral
administration of one lozenge per day for 3 months with L. reuteri in supportive periodontal therapy
might have a positive influence on clinical parameters in supportive periodontal therapy, depending
on the individual
