Frequently Asked Questions about BLIS K12

WHY DO I NEED TO USE YOUR TOOTHPASTE?
K12 bacteria are extremely sensitive and need a good mouth environment in order to colonise correctly. In order to aid this colonisation BreezeCare has developed special cleaning gels for the teeth and tongue to remove bacteria laden biofilms that can stop colonisation. Unfortunately commercial toothpastes can not be substituted for the BreezeCare cleaning gels. We have not tested all the commercial toothpastes, but the ones we have tested have severely decreased the efficiency of the bacteria colonisation.

IS BLIS K12 GENETICALLY MODIFIED?
No. BLIS K12 in our KForce Probiotic System is entirely natural. It is not a manufactured chemical, or genetically modified in any way.  It is a course of powdered mouthwash that contains beneficial bacteria that are naturally carried by about 2% of the population.  It is a way of passing the benefits of those bacteria to people who do not have them.

ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS USING BLIS K12 BACTERIA?
BLIS K12 is a naturally occurring bacterium that is carried in a small percentage of the population. It was discovered in healthy schoolchildren in Dunedin New Zealand. It has been sold in New Zealand for over 3 years as a dietary supplement with no reported significant adverse reactions.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS BLIS K12?
Below is a scientific experiment to show the effectiveness of Streptococcus salivarius K12. A strain of Streptococcus salivarius K12 is grown vertically on an agar plate. Then nine indicator strains of bacteria labeled I1 to I9 are grown horizontally across the same agar plate and incubated for 18 hours. The inhibition area from the S. salivarius K12 can clearly be seen as the blank area in each horizontal line.

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WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE PEOPLE HAVE BLIS K12 BACTERIA?
Most healthy people have S. salivarius strains in their mouths. S. salivarius is a naturally occurring bacteria, a predominant inhabitant of the back of the tongue and the pharyngeal mucosa in humans. S. salivarius becomes established in the human oral cavity with the first touch of the parents. The levels of S. salivarius in swab samples taken from newborn infants represent 10% of the total streptococci isolated, increasing to 25-30 % by one month of age. In adults, S. salivarius represent 17% of the total streptococci isolated from the tongue and 30% from the pharynx.

However only 10% of the population have BLIS-producing strains of S. salivarius.  KForce Clean Mouthwash contains BLIS-producing Streptococcus salivarius K12 which produces two types of BLIS, Salivaricin A and Salivaricin B.

Strains that produce both these types of BLIS exist naturally in around 2% of the population. Another interesting fact is that Streptococcus salivarius is closely related (up to 99% matching) to Streptococcus thermophilus which is widely used in yoghurt and cheese manufacture. This is another indication of the safety of S.salivarius.