Reversal of primary root caries lesions after daily intake of milk supplemented with fluoride and probiotic lactobacilli in older adults

Study answer

What this study found

Daily milk supplementation with fluoride and/or probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB21 appeared to reverse or remineralize primary root caries lesions, with the clearest benefit when fluoride was included. In the fluoride plus probiotic group, the lesion distribution shifted from 0/72/28 at baseline to 59/38/3 for grade 1/2/3 lesions at 15 months, and ECM increased from 256 (138) to 1127 (683), p<0.05. Fluoride alone also improved ECM from 317 (221) to 883 (453), while probiotic alone improved more modestly from 306 (226) to 581 (292). No severe adverse effects were reported in any active arm.

Study & population

Interventional study in older adults recruited from a specialist dental clinic in Ljungby, Sweden.

Intervention

Three oral milk regimens were tested for 15 months in older adults: milk containing fluoride 5.0 mg F/L, milk containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB21 at 10^7 CFU/mL, or milk containing both agents.

Key limitation

Completed sample sizes were smaller than planned in the active arms (26, 27, and 22 completers versus 40 planned per group), which limits precision.

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Original abstract