“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat, what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”

—Mark Twain

This age—old quote was probably the first reference to a relatively novel group of organisms fondly known as ‘probiotics’. Probiotics are live organisms that alter the composition or metabolic activities of the microbiota, or to modulate immune system reactivity in a way that benefits our health. In other words, they are microorganisms good for our health. To achieve this, probiotics actively ‘compete’ with pathogenic bacteria for attachment sites, nutrition, etc. Probiotics are also beneficial by eliminating the toxins produced by pathogens, hereby rendering them invalid.

Research surrounding probiotics has historically focused on digestive health. Over recent years, scientists have been investigating the potential immune benefits of probiotics, as well as other benefits beyond the recognized area of gut.

This article attempts to summarize the mechanisms of action of probiotics with a brief overview of some of the oral benefits of certain probiotics organisms.