The History of ProBiora3®

June 2, 2024

Ever wonder how ProBiora3® came to be?

It all started with Dr. Jeffrey Hillman. Back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Dr. Hillman was a dentist and research scientist at The Forsyth Dental Center (now the Forsyth Institute) in Boston, Massachusetts. There, he and his team worked with dental plaque from both healthy people and people with oral diseases such as cavities, gingivitis, and periodontitis. After isolating hundreds of bacteria samples from the teeth and gums, he soon realized that most people, even those with clinically healthy mouths, had the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease. This led to Dr. Hillman’s fundamental question,

“If everyone has the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease in their mouths, why doesn’t everyone have rampant tooth decay and gum disease?”

Dr. Hillman and his team of researchers set out to answer this question through rigorous investigation. What they discovered was that people with clinically healthy mouths often had high levels of bacteria that suppressed or stopped the growth of oral pathogens. So, while they may be present in the mouths of healthy people, the levels of these bad bacteria were too low to cause disease.

Soon, Dr. Hillman’s group isolated some of these beneficial bacteria that seemed to always be present in high numbers in healthy mouths, including Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus oralis. When strains of these beneficial species were grown together with oral pathogens, the Streptococcus strains stopped the growth of the pathogens. Later, they found that the beneficial strains produced small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which inhibits the growth or kills many oral pathogens that cause gingivitis and periodontitis. Two strains in particular were efficient pathogen killers: Streptococcus uberis KJ2 and Streptococcus oralis KJ3 (previously known as S. sanguis KJ3).

At the same time, Dr. Hillman’s group conducted studies on the cavity-causing bacterium Streptococcus mutans. S. mutans is very effective at causing cavities because it attaches strongly to the teeth and produces lactic acid, which eats away at tooth enamel. While working with this bacterium, Dr. Hillman’s group found that sometimes during cell division S. mutans would produce variant strains, or strains that have different characteristics. One of the variant strains, Strain JH145, was unique because it was unable to produce lactic acid. Dr. Hillman’s group hypothesized that this variant strain would be able to compete with S. mutans on the teeth for nutrients and attachment sites while also reducing cavities because of its inability to produce lactic acid. This strain was named Streptococcus rattus JH145.

These three strains, S. uberis KJ2, S. oralis KJ3, and S. rattus JH145, displayed clear health benefits in the mouth. However, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that they were combined into the patented blend we now know as ProBiora3. Additional research was conducted by Dr. Hillman’s group and other academics around the globe to ensure that ProBiora3 was safe for use in humans and animals and that the health benefits observed in the laboratory (reducing oral pathogens that cause gum disease and cavities) also occurred in real mouths of children and adults.

Today, the benefits of ProBiora3 are backed by more than 35 years of clinical research, showing that the combination of these three strains is unmatched at reducing oral pathogens and improving oral health. These strains have been shown to work together to:

• Reduce levels of bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities
• Improve breath
• Gently and naturally whiten teeth
• Support overall oral health

ProBiora3 is the only probiotic blend with strains from the teeth and gums that directly support gum and tooth health by crowding out bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. Both children and adults can easily add ProBiora’s oral-care probiotics to their daily routine: simply dissolve one tablet in the mouth after tooth brushing (preferably at bedtime). When used daily, the beneficial bacteria in ProBiora products helps maintain the natural microbial balance in the oral cavity, supporting healthy teeth and gums.

So, what are you waiting for? Try ProBiora today for a healthier, brighter smile.

To learn more about the science behind ProBiora3, visit our Knowledge Library for a deeper dive into the science.