In the pursuit of enhancing non-surgical periodontal therapy, a systematic review of the role of probiotics vs antimicrobial agents for managing periodontal diseases has revealed promising findings. According to the outcomes of the study, probiotics offer a potential alternative to antibiotics in tackling periodontal disease (gingivitis and periodontitis), though a combination of both may prove more beneficial.

The main aim of the investigators was to assess whether probiotics (intervention) can be employed as substitutes for standard antimicrobial agents (comparators) in the care of individuals experiencing gingival and periodontal conditions. Studies with a minimum follow-up period of 15 days from the initiation of the intervention were taken into account. A comprehensive search across six databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, Clinical Trial Registry, Cochrane) yielded 5,530 articles on probiotics vs. antibiotics for periodontal disease.

After screening, 1,891 articles were considered for title and abstract screening, and 10 clinical studies were selected for data extraction. Recorded parameters encompassed clinical attachment loss, probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing, gingival index, plaque index, and microbial profile. As found, probiotics exhibited notable effectiveness in minimizing probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss when compared to antibiotics.

However, antibiotics proved more effective in reducing plaque index and gingival index. Importantly, the combined use of probiotics and antibiotics demonstrated superior efficacy when compared to the individual use of either probiotics or antibiotics alone.