Yogurt product intake and reduction of tooth loss risk in a Japanese community

Development and establishment of oral microbiota in early life

BACKGROUND

The oral microbiota has recently attracted attention owing to its association with oral and systemic diseases. Accordingly, gaining an understanding of oral microbiota development and the factors influencing it can contribute to preventing the establishment of dysbiotic oral microbiota and, eventually, oral microbiota-related diseases.

HIGHLIGHT

In this review, we highlight the results of a longitudinal project focusing on oral microbiota development during early life. At 4 months of age, the oral microbiota of infants was found to differ considerably from the maternal oral microbiota, even though infants acquire oral bacteria from their mothers. At 18 months, although the infant microbiota is still not completely comparable with that of adults, from 4 to 18 months, there is a rapid phase of development, during which the microbial composition undergoes considerable change to a profile more similar to that in adults. During this development, the infant oral microbiota converges into two different profiles with adult-like traits, namely, Streptococcus salivarius- and Neisseria-dominant profiles. This divergence is strongly influenced by dietary habits, with a frequent intake of sweetened beverages being associated with an S. salivarius-dominant profile, which is suspected to be implicated in oral and systemic diseases.

CONCLUSION

The foundation of the adult oral microbiota may be established by 18 months of age, and the developmental period from 4 to 18 months may be an appropriate period during which to modify the microbial balance to obtain a desirable healthy state. In particular, dietary habits during this period warrant close attention.

Live dietary microbes and reduced prevalence of periodontitis: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Investigate the link between live dietary microbe consumption and the prevalence of periodontitis.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

National health and nutrition examination survey (2009-2014) data was used to assess the association among adults. Live dietary microbe intake was categorized as low or medium to high. Regression models were employed to assess this association, adjusting for demographic variables and other covariates. Examined dose-response relationship and conducted subgroup analyses by ethnicity, age and gender. Multiplicative interactions were evaluated using likelihood ratio tests.

RESULTS

The analysis included 8574 participants. After adjusting for various factors including age, gender, ethnicity, dietary habits, dietary inflammatory index, alcohol consumption, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and oral health behaviors, individuals with daily intake of medium to high levels of live dietary microbes showed a significantly reduced risk of periodontitis compared to those who did not consume such microbes with a dose-response trend (p for trend <0.0001, p < 0.01). Significant differences in the impact of live microbe intake on periodontitis were also observed across different age groups in all Models (p for interaction ≤0.05).

CONCLUSION

Medium to high live dietary microbe consumption independently correlates with lower periodontitis risk, irrespective of traditional risk factors and demographics.

Oral Microbiota: The Influences and Interactions of Saliva, IgA, and Dietary Factors in Health and Disease

Recent advances in metagenomic analyses have made it easier to analyze microbiota. The microbiota, a symbiotic community of microorganisms including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses within a specific environment in tissues such as the digestive tract and skin, has a complex relationship with the host. Recent studies have revealed that microbiota composition and balance particularly affect the health of the host and the onset of disease. Influences such as diet, food preferences, and sanitation play crucial roles in microbiota composition. The oral cavity is where the digestive tract directly communicates with the outside. Stable temperature and humidity provide optimal growth environments for many bacteria. However, the oral cavity is a unique environment that is susceptible to pH changes, salinity, food nutrients, and external pathogens. Recent studies have emphasized the importance of the oral microbiota, as changes in bacterial composition and balance could contribute to the development of systemic diseases. This review focuses on saliva, IgA, and fermented foods because they play critical roles in maintaining the oral bacterial environment by regulating its composition and balance. More attention should be paid to the oral microbiota and its regulatory factors in oral and systemic health.

Impact of Dairy Products and Plant-Based Alternatives on Dental Health: Food Matrix Effects

The impact of dairy products on dental health has been researched widely and shows an important role of various constituents, as well as the specific product matrix, in maintaining and improving dental health. These include, for instance, the position of lactose as the least cariogenic fermentable sugar, the high levels of calcium and phosphate, the presence of phosphopeptides as well as the antibacterial peptides lactoferrin and lysozyme and high buffering capacity. With plant-based alternatives for dairy products being developed and marketed these days, the specific benefits of dairy products in relation to dental health are often overlooked and most products contain more cariogenic carbohydrates, lack phosphopeptides, and have fewer minerals and less buffering capacity. Comparative studies performed to date indeed suggest that plant-based products do not match dairy counterparts when it comes to maintaining and improving dental health. Careful consideration of these aspects is required in relation to future developments of products and human diets. In this paper, we review the impact of dairy products and plant-based dairy alternatives on dental health.

Vitamin-A enriched yogurt through fortification of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima): A potential alternative for preventing blindness in children

Vitamin-A deficiency associated with night blindness in children is a global health problem that could be prevented or reduced by promoting the intake of β-carotene in food. The fortification of β-carotene in yogurt using pumpkin flesh (PF) could be a very cost-effective public health intervention. The current study aimed to analyze the proximate, functional, microbial, textural, and sensory properties of yogurt fortified with PF to evaluate its suitability as a β-carotene enriched food. The research was conducted with three treatments, control set-type yogurt (CSY) with no PF, 15% PF-fortified set-type yogurt (15PFSY), and 20% PF-fortified set-type yogurts (20PFSY) followed by pumpkin pie spice and ground pumpkin seed to improve consumer acceptability. The fortified yogurt with 20PFSY and 15PFSY contained a higher amount of β-carotene, protein, fiber, and ash, and lower carbohydrate, fat, and energy in compression with CSY, which might attract health-conscious people. In addition, viable bacterial count, firmness, consistency, cohesiveness, and viscosity index were found better in fortified yogurt. Based on reports of sensory panellists, 15PFSY achieved a significantly (p < 0.01) highest overall acceptability than 20PFSY and CSY. These findings suggest that pumpkin-fortified yogurt could be used widely as a nutrient-enriched fermented food. In addition, as a β-carotene (vitamin-A) fortified yogurt, it could be a potential alternative to prevent or reduce blindness in children with minimal cost.

Identification of Nutritional Factors to Evaluate Periodontal Clinical Parameters in Patients with Systemic Diseases

Nutritional factors reflect the periodontal parameters accompanying periodontal status. In this study, the associations between nutritional factors, blood biochemical items, and clinical parameters were examined in patients with systemic diseases. The study participants were 94 patients with heart disease, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, or diabetes mellitus. Weak negative correlation coefficients were found between nine clinical parameters and ten nutritional factors. Stage, grade, mean probing depth (PD), rate of PD 4−5 mm, rate of PD ≥ 6 mm, mean clinical attachment level (CAL), and the bleeding on probing (BOP) rate were weakly correlated with various nutritional factors. The clinical parameters with coefficients of determinations (R2) > 0.1 were grade, number of teeth, PD, rate of PD 4−5 mm, CAL, and BOP rate. PD was explained by yogurt and cabbage with statistically significant standardized partial regression coefficients (yogurt: −0.2143; cabbage and napa cabbage: −0.2724). The mean CAL was explained by pork, beef, mutton, and dark green vegetables with statistically significant standardized partial regression coefficients (−0.2237 for pork, beef, and mutton; −0.2667 for dark green vegetables). These results raise the possibility that the frequency of intake of various vegetables can be used to evaluate periodontal stabilization in patients with systemic diseases.