eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 0973-1245 2014-04-28 11 1 6463 article L. Malathi 1 Jayasrikrupaa 1 N. Balachander 1 Vidya Rani 1 V. Anbazhagan 1 KMK Masthan 1 Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Sree Balaji Dental College & Hospital, Bharath University, Chennai, India. Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or some yeasts. They help in stimulating health promoting flora and also suppressing pathogens which cause and spread diseases. A balanced oral microbial environment is essential for the promotion of health & prevention of diseases. Probiotic technology represents a breakthrough approach to maintain oral health by using natural beneficial bacteria, commonly found in oral cavity of healthy individuals, to provide a natural defense against those bacteria which are thought to be harmful to structures of oral cavity. The aim of this review is to understand the mechanism of action of probiotic bacteria in the oral cavity and summarize observed effects of probiotics as well as their varied applications in the field of dentistry. https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol11no1/probiotics-in-dentistry-a-review/ Probiotics; Beneficial bacteria; oral health; lactobacillus; probiotics; synbiotics