Effect of a 2-week Sugar Stress on Bacterial Profiles in Whole Saliva

Summary

Dental caries is a non-communicable biofilm-mediated disease affecting both crown and exposed root surfaces in the primary and permanent dentitions. The carious process involves interactions between the biofilm formed on the tooth surface, sugars, salivary and genetic factors. Based on more than 100 years of research, there is unequivocal evidence that dietary fermentable carbohydrates (sugars and starch) play a key role in caries initiation and progression. In this context, sucrose deserves special attention; apart from being rapidly converted into acids it is also synthesized into extracellular glucans, fructans and intracellular storage compounds. According to the ecological plaque hypothesis, it is generally accepted that sucrose exposure is fueling and driving the stable and diverse symbiotic oral biofilm to a dysbiotic form with a reduced diversity and overgrowth of acidogenic and acid-tolerating species. Such typical bacterial profiles have demonstrated in subjects with different stages of caries in cross-sectional settings but the timing associated with a sugar provocations is less known. Moreover, the use of probiotic bacteria in adjunct to regular oral care to support biofilm diversity and prevent dental caries has gained momentum in recent years. It has been demonstrated that probiotic supplements can increase salivary pH, and reduce the counts of salivary S. mutans, thereby exert a stabilizing effect on the oral microbiota. In this context, it is of interest to explore whether or not the use of beneficial bacteria can counteract a sugar-driven shift in the salivary microbiota. Another question of interest is to study if the oral biofilm has a colonization memory similar to that of the gastro-intestinal tract and the suggested study design could possibly enlighten this area of research.

Conditions

• Dental Caries
• Gingivitis

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Succrose rinsing

Sucrose rinsing 7-8 times a day for 14 days

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Probiotic lozenges

Probiotic lozenges 2 times a day for 35 days

OTHER

xylitol rinsing

Xylitol rinsing 7-8 times a day for 14 days

OTHER

Placebo tablets

Placebo lozenges 2 times a day for 35 days

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Copenhagen

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

40 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-05-05

Primary Completion

2020-06-30

Completion

2020-06-30

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations