Effectiveness of orally administered probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri in patients with peri-implant mucositis : A prospective clinical study

Aim The aim of the present prospective clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness of orally administered probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri in the treatment of peri-implant mucositis. Materials and methods Eighty patients showing peri-implant mucositis were enrolled and assigned to two different treatment groups. In the test group subjects were instructed to take one probiotic lozenge daily for 30 days. In the control group, patients received placebo. Periodontal indices including plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and probing depth (PD) were clinically recorded around natural teeth and implants at baseline and after a period of 1 month and 3 months. Results After 3-month evaluation in the test group the differences of plaque and bleeding indices remained statistically significantly lower compared to baseline at both teeth and implants. Contrariwise, no statistically significant differences of PI and BOP were observed in the control group. The intergroup comparison at 3 months yielded statistically significantly lower values for all periodontal parameters around teeth when the probiotic was used. Conversely, no statistically significant differences in periodontal parameters were observed between test and control groups at 3 months around implants. Conclusions Probiotic intake was effective in reducing PI, BOP, and PD scores around natural teeth and dental implants affected by peri-mucositis, in particular around natural teeth at 3 months.