Improvement of oral malodor using Lactobacillus salivarius WB21-containing tablets

Method: We conducted a 14-day, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial of tablets containing Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 (2.0 × 10⁹ colony-forming units/day) or placebo taken orally by patients with oral malodor (n = 23).

Results: Malodor and clinical assessments were performed on days 0 and 14 of each period. In addition, a quantitative analysis of oral bacteria in saliva samples was performed on day 14. The concentration of volatile sulfur compounds (P = 0.019) and average probing pocket depth (P = 0.001) were significantly improved in the probiotics period compared with the placebo period. The tongue coating score during the probiotics period had a tendency to be lower than that during the placebo period (P = 0.085). Quantitative analysis of bacteria revealed significantly lower levels of ubiquitous bacteria (P = 0.003) and the volatile sulfur compound-producing periodontopathic bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum (P = 0.020) in the probiotics period compared with the placebo period.

Conclusion: These results indicate that daily consumption of tablets containing probiotic lactobacilli can help to control oral malodor and malodor-related factors.