Probiotics are an emerging area of research in oral health; however, they have been well studied in relationship to systemic or gastrointestinal health. Knowledge of probiotics on the host immune system has entered a new and fascinating phase of research and progression in this field is likely to offer novel and useful means to modulate host immunity for protection from, or treatment of, a wide variety of oral diseases and disorders. Probiotics play an important role in combating issues with over use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance. Today¿s new technological era would be the right time to change the way bacteria are treated. Nowadays, dental professionals are slowly moving away from the purely surgical approach of treating dental caries to the use of probiotic strategies, that may provide the end of new cavities in treated populations. Efforts should be made to increase the awareness and motivation among the general dental practitioners on this aspect of oral disease therapy and invigorate the implementation of the concept of ¿food rather than medicine.¿

Dr. Ananthalekshmy Rajeev is pursuing her postgraduation in Department of Public Health Dentistry, Divya Jyoti College of Dental Sciencee and research, Modinagar, UP 201204. She has done research works in the field of dentistry and has national publications too.