Probiotics for Improving Post-surgical Healing

Probiotics are defined by the World Health Organization as "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host." Human microbiome is a complex system that contributes to maintaining a good health status in humans. Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapies act against pathogen bacteria but also affect the intestinal microbiome, leading to different side effects such as abdominal pain, gastric pain, nausea, vomit and diarrhea.

The use of probiotics has been advocated as a possible means in reducing intensity and incidence of the symptoms related to antibiotic therapies. Some probiotics like Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) showed good anti-inflammatory properties and also antimicrobic action, assuming a possible role in wound healing processes.

Few studies have been conducted on the use of L. reuteri in dentistry. Twetman et al. (2018) conducted a trial to assess the efficacy of L. reuteri in improving post-surgical healing in the oral cavity after a punch biopsy, showing promising results. The authors concluded that larger trials may be useful to better clarify the role of probiotics in oral wounds healing. The only data regarding the possible role of L. reuteri in post- extractive healing comes from a pilot study (Walivara at al. 2019) that showed a reduction of the perceived swelling and of the number of disturbed-sleep nights in patients who underwent impacted-tooth extraction and assumed L. reuteri. Authors concluded that larger trials with closer follow-up visits are required to fully understand the clinical correlation.

The primary aim of the present research is to evaluate the efficacy of a probiotic containing L. reuteri in improving post-surgical healing following impacted tooth extractions and the secondary aim is to investigate its possible role in preventing or reducing gastro-intestinal side effects related to post-operative antibiotic therapy.A Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial will be performed to evaluate the efficacy of L. reuteri in improving post-extractive healing.

All patients who need impacted tooth extractions at University Hospital of Pisa (Operative Unit of Odontostomatology and Oral Surgery) will be considered eligible for the study.

The number of patients to include is set to 160, divided in two experimental groups (80 patients per group). Patients who meet inclusion/exclusion criteria will be enrolled in this trial.