Keeping bad breath at bay

BETWEEN 35% and 45% of people worldwide has some level of halitosis, commonly known as bad breath. It is a social disability and one out of three people of the world’s populations suffers from moderate to severe chronic halitosis. People who are constantly suffering from halitosis might exhibit low self- esteem and confidence, which affect normal social interaction and psychological development.

Halitosis is a common and recurring condition in which an individual’s breath exhibits a very unpleasant smell. You may be unaware that your breath has unpleasant smell, as most of us can’t smell ourselves. Bad breath is mostly caused by bacteria on the tongue, which produce volatile sulphur compound ( VSC) which is one of the substances that produces odour due to the breaking down of food in the oral cavity.

Other factors associated with halitosis include periodontitis ( inflammation and infection of the ligaments and bones that support the teeth), presence of plaque in the oral cavity and smoking.

The common treatments of bad breath include the use of mouthwash containing chlorhexidine and cetipyridinium chloride. However, use of these antimicrobial agents could only serve as a temporary treatment as sulphur- producing bacteria tend to recolonise the oral cavity once the mouthwash is discontinued.

On the other hand, Streptococcus salivarius K12 is able to provide a sustained protection against those bad bacteria by establishing healthy oral microflora.

Streptococcus salivarius K12 strains were originally discovered by scientists who tracked the oral health of a healthy child with exceptional throat health for several years. They discovered that a particular strain of Streptococcus salivarius ( later named BLIS K12) was associated with mouth and throat health.

The K12 strain of Streptococcus salivarius secretes a substance called BLIS ( Bacteriocin- LikeInhibitory Substances), with the ability to maintain oral health.

Studies have shown that by treating subjects with Streptococcus salivarius, a significant decrease in volatile sulphur compound ( VSC) level is observed after a week of the treatment. Streptococcus salivarius K12 works by exhibiting the triple “PUNCH” action:

Attaching to cells in the oral cavity and colonises, crowding out pathogenic bacteria commonly implicated in bad breath.

Secretes two microbial proteins called Salivaricin A and Salivaricin B, which destroy undesirable bacteria, making it more beneficial in fighting off pathogens.

1. 2.

Boosting the immune system by interacting with host cells.

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Streptococcus salivarius K12 helps to establish the normal microbiota in the oral cavity. Apart from halitosis, Streptococcus salivarius K12 is also effective in treating streptococcal pharyngitis and otitis media.

Studies have shown that preventive administration of Streptococcus salivarius K12 to people with a history of repeated streptococcal pharyngitis reduced episodes of streptococcal pharyngeal infection and acute otitis media by 83.70% and 40% respectively.

With over 30 years of research and more than 60 scientific papers published, Streptococcus salivarius K12 has promising safety data. Let’s take this special strain of probiotic to help you beat bad breath and related oral infections.

This article is contributed by BiOLiFE Marketing Sdn. Bhd. For enquiries, call BiO- LiFE Customer Care ( Monday to Friday 8am- 5pm) at 03- 7882 8888 or e- mail to health@ biolife. com. my

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