Effects of Oral Probiotics on Subjective Halitosis, Oral Health, and Psychosocial Health of College Students: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Dong-Suk Lee, Myoungsuk Kim, Seoul-Hee Nam, Mi-Sun Kang and Seung-Ah Lee
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Dong-Suk Lee: College of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
Myoungsuk Kim: College of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
Seoul-Hee Nam: Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Kangwon National University, Samcheok-si 25949, Korea
Mi-Sun Kang: R&D Center, OraPharm Inc., Seoul 04782, Korea
Seung-Ah Lee: College of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: Altogether, 81% of Korean college students experience halitosis and concomitant psychosocial problems such as depression and lowered self-esteem, as well as poor oral-health-related quality of life. Although halitosis causes many social and psychological problems among college students, there have been no reports of improvement interventions. This study aimed to identify the effects of ingesting tablets of the oral probiotic Weissella cibaria CMU (Chonnam Medical University, Gwangju, Korea) on halitosis and examine its effects on psychosocial indicators. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group. They ingested W. cibaria CMU or the placebo, depending on which group they belonged to, before going to bed daily for eight weeks. The measured indicators were subjective halitosis, subjective oral-health status, depression, self-esteem, and oral-health-related quality of life. Measurements were at baseline and eight weeks later. The participants showed statistically significant differences in subjective halitosis and oral-health-related quality of life. For college students with halitosis, intake of the oral probiotic for eight weeks could be a useful nursing intervention for reducing halitosis and improving oral-health-related quality of life.

Keywords: halitosis; probiotics; depression; self-esteem; oral health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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