Effectiveness of Probiotic Therapy in the Management of Periodontal Disease in Diabetic Patients: A Scoping Review

Background Probiotics can compete with periodontal pathogens in the formation of dental biofilm, and they are able to modulate local and systemic immune responses. Thus, its use in diabetic patients with periodontal disease (PD) can overcome the limitations of conventional periodontal treatment.Objective This scoping review aimed to understand the extent and type of evidence in relation to the effects of probiotic therapy on periodontal and glycaemic parameters of diabetic patients with PD.Methods An electronic search was performed in the following databases: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Virtual Health Library (including LILACS and BBO), PubMed (including Medline), Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The review included clinical trials on patients with type 2 diabetes, diagnosed with gingivitis or periodontitis, who received probiotic therapy as a single therapy or adjuvant to scaling and root planning, and on whom the analyses of clinical periodontal, immunological, microbiological, or glycaemic parameters were performed.Results The electronic search yielded a total of 1165 articles. After removing duplicate titles and performing systematic screening, 6 studies were included in the qualitative summary. Probiotic administration improved clinical periodontal parameters (bleeding on probing and probing depth), oxidative stress markers, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-alpha) in relation to control groups. Experimental groups were also more advantageous in reducing the frequency of periodontopathogenic bacteria. However, the evidence of probiotics in decreasing glycated hemoglobin is still uncertain.Conclusion Probiotics may provide safe additional benefits to periodontal parameters of patients with type 2 diabetes and periodontal disease.