Postbiotic products (postbiotic toothpaste; heat-killed/postbiotic oral lozenges; inactivated-bacteria tablets) vs Placebo, fluoride toothpaste, or standard post-filling care (varies by trial)
Streptococcus mutans count · Humans at risk of dental caries (children aged 6-12 years; adults with dental caries)
Postbiotic products reduce salivary S. mutans counts in human trials, though not always significantly (ungraded narrative synthesis).
1 finding from 1 review
- Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomesDaily for 14 days to 4 weeks · Clinical; salivary/plaque samplingThree RCTs reported reduced salivary S. mutans counts after postbiotic intervention; the reduction was statistically significant in Lin 2022 but non-significant in Basir 2022; no pooled estimate.3 studiesGRADE not reported