Effectiveness of probiotics on streptococcus mutans count in children

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of probiotics on Streptococcus mutans count in children. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 healthy children aged 7-14 years randomly divided into two groups which consumed or not consumed probiotics. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected in sterilized containers for 3 min. The saliva samples were transferred to the microbiology laboratory within 2 h of collection. Mutans streptococci colony counts per ml of saliva were performed on nutrient agar collected on the 1st day at baseline and 10 days post-intervention. Results: The control and study groups had no statistically significant difference before intervention. Post-intervention comparison of the groups revealed statistically significant difference (0.017). A significant reduction in S. mutans count was observed after the administration of intervention for 10 days. Conclusion: The administration of probiotics resulted in significant reduction in S. mutans.