Postbiotics from Lactobacillus spp. (cell-free supernatants, biosurfactants, lipoteichoic acid, bacterial lysates) vs No prior SDF application (untreated dentin control): Proposed inhibition of S. mutans adhesion to tooth surface (mechanism; direct adherence endpoint confirmed only in Ahn 2018)
Postbiotics inhibit S. mutans adhesion to tooth surfaces in vitro (ungraded narrative synthesis).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Postbiotics from Lactobacillus spp. (cell-free supernatants, biosurfactants, lipoteichoic acid, bacterial lysates) vs Untreated control Proposed inhibition of S. mutans adhesion to tooth surface (mechanism; direct adherence endpoint confirmed only in Ahn 2018) · Cariogenic bacteria (mainly Streptococcus mutans reference strains) and oral biofilms in vitro · Exposure 24 h to 7 days, Laboratory (in vitro) Postbiotics inhibit S. mutans adhesion to tooth surfaces in vitro (ungraded narrative synthesis). Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. (2025) All outcomes | Postbiotics (mainly biosurfactants and lipoteichoic acid) interfered with S. mutans adhesion to tooth/hydroxyapatite surfaces in 5 in vitro studies; no pooled estimate. | 5 studies | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes | October 2024 | 21 | Critically Low / Critically Low |
Studies behind the findings
None of these reviews ties its included studies to this outcome in the data here. Cochrane reviews and reviews with headline outcomes only do not list their studies yet.
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.