| Effect | None |
| Trial Design | Randomized trial |
| Trial Length | 1-2 Weeks |
| Number of Subjects | 22 |
| Sex | n/a |
| Age Range | 18-29, 30-44 |
In this crossover comparative study, 22 patients with no active cavities received either 100mL/day kefir to drink or an 0.05% _sodium fluoride_ (NaF) rinse. After two weeks of treatment, both the NaF and kefir groups had significantly reduced salivary concentrations of the enamel-eroding bacteria _mutans streptococci_ (MS), by 2.7 x 10^5^ and 2.3 x 10^5^ CFU/ml of saliva respectively. The difference between the NaF and kefir groups was statistically insignificant. Neither treatment significantly increased the salivary pH.
The kefir used in this was homemade from Iranian kefir grains containing L. casei subsp. pseudoplantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Note: This is a small study that didn't have a non-treatment control group, but directly compared two treatments, so it's possible that these twenty-two patients would also have seen MS reductions by simply rinsing with water.
