Parameters evaluated Group A Group B p log10 CFU/ml log10 CFU/ml Total bacteria 8.44 ± 1.15 4.47 ± 1.31 0.001 Total coliforms 4.95 ± 0.80 2.82 ± 0.96 0.001 Sulfite-reducing bacteria (SRB) 5.47 ± 1.15 2.58 ± 1.05 0.052 Lactobacilli 4.00 ± 0.93 2.36 ± 1.00 0.016

Table 2a: Quantification of total bacteria, total coliforms, sulfitereducing bacteria (SRB), and total lactobacilli in saliva samples at d0 (both groups) (a) and d15 (Group A) (b). The data are expressed as mean ± SD values (log10 CFU/ml of saliva) of 3 independent analysis. p values are calculated using Student’s t-test and considered significant if ≤ 0.05. a) comparison between the two groups at d0