Efficacy of lactic bacterium beverages against recurrent aphtha

Abstract

I compared total bacteria, the proportional distribution of Gram-positive bacteria and catalase-positive cocci, and the levels of secretory immunoglobulin A (SlgA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the saliva of patients with aphtha before, after and during use of lactic bacterium beverages. Before using lactic bacterium beverages, all of the aphtha patients had higher levels of bacteria than did the healthy controls. I found that use of lactic bacterium beverages reduced the severity of clinical symptoms in patients with recurrent aphtha. Furthermore, total bacteria and the proportional distribution of Gram-positive bacteria and catalase-positive cocci decreased, while both SlgA and EGF increased. These results indicate that lactic bacterium beverages may be effective in the treatment of recurrent aphtha.