The Role of Probiotics and Prebiotics in Periodontal Health: A Literature Review

This review thoughtfully consolidates the current evidence regarding the efficacy of probiotics and prebiotics in the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases. It is observed that, as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP), specific probiotic strains, particularly Lactobacillus reuteri, present moderate-certainty evidence for enhancing probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP). While the evidence for the prevention of gingivitis is less robust, it is worth noting that data on prebiotics appear promising, although they remain somewhat limited.