Oral probiotics influence oral and respiratory tract infections in pediatric population: a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled pilot study

OBJECTIVE: Acute oral and respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are highly present in the general population, and they represent one of the most impacting causes of morbidity and mortality every year. The aim of our study was to assess the clinical impact of oral probiotics on acute oral and respiratory tract infections affecting paediatric patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical study, where probiotics have been compared with placebo in a double-blinded investigation. 40 subjects with a recent clinical history reporting oral and respiratory tract infections were randomly selected and assigned to control (n = 20) or the probiotics (n = 20) group. During the 3 months before the starting, all subjects were assessed with several salivary examinations. RESULTS: We found significant differences in the incidence of oral and respiratory tract infections between control and probiotic group, with a marked reduction of oral and respiratory tract infections episodes in the probiotic group. Salivary examinations gave similar results in both the groups, however, despite the salivary flow, viscosity and buffering were similar, on the contrary, pH values were found to be more alkaline in patients of probiotic group. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the main positive effects related to a supplementation with probiotics in order to prevent or reduce the incidence of infections onset in oral and respiratory tracts without any drugs-related adverse effects.