Effects of Probiotics as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy (NSPT): A Narrative Review

Background: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the destruction of periodontal tissues due to biofilm deposits and altered host immune response. Non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) still represents the gold standard for treatment; however, its effectiveness in deep periodontal pockets is limited. Probiotics seem to modulate both oral microbiota and inflammatory response and have been proposed as an adjunctive therapy to NSPT. Methods: An electronic search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Medline, and Google Scholar to identify English randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating probiotics as adjunctive treatments to NSPT. Studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and clinical outcomes such as probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were extracted and analyzed. Results: Seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria. These studies showed significant improvements in PD and CAL when probiotics were used, specifically with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. However, outcomes ranged depending on the strain, dosage, and delivery method. Conclusions: Probiotics may be used as an adjunct treatment to NSPT; however, further studies are needed to define valid clinical guidelines.