Oral Administration of Lactobacillus Reuteri Improves Periodontal Disease in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Objectives: There is disagreement on the effect of diabetes on oral hygiene. Probiotics creating a biofilm could protect the oral tissues against periodontal bacteria. We aimed to assess the effects of Lactobacillus reuteri administration upon the oral health of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods: Forty-three patients (11.3±2.77 yrs.; T1D duration 58.2±38.0 months) were enrolled and randomly assigned to Group A (probiotic - 10^8 CFU/day for 3 months) and Group B (no probiotic). Full Mouth Plaque Score (FMPS), Full Mouth Bleeding Score (FMBS), insulin dose (IU/kg/day), and HbA1c were measured at baseline (T0) and 3-months after (T1). Results: FMPS significantly improved in both Group A and B (p<0.05). In Group B insulin dose increased (p=0.01) and HbA1c improved (p<0.001) at T1; in Group A the metabolic control was unchanged. In Group A, 13 out 22 patients reported a regular probiotic intake (Group A1), while the other ones used it sporadically (Group A2). Despite FMPS and FMBS values were not different between groups at T0, they were significantly lower (p<0.05) in Group A1 respect to Group A2 at T1 and longitudinally decreased in Group A1 but not in Group A2. Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that 3-months administration of probiotic might improve the oral health of children and adolescents with T1D and confirm the influence of the glycemic control.