Thrush is the common name for an overgrowth of a specific kind of yeast in your mouth. There are several underlying conditions that make your more susceptible to thrush, and some medications can also increase your chances of getting a thrush infection. Probiotics may help prevent thrush, but there's no scientific evidence they can treat it.
Thrush
If you get thrush, it's caused by a group of fungi that fall into the genus Candida. You can get candidiasis -- a yeast overgrowth -- in many different parts of your body, and depending upon where the yeast are growing, symptoms vary. According to PubMed Health, thrush symptoms include a thick white coating on the tongue that bleeds if you scratch it off. Your throat and mouth may also feel sore and scratchy. You're at increased risk for thrush if you have a suppressed immune system -- individuals with HIV have a high incidence of thrush, for instance -- and if you are taking immune-suppressing drugs such as certain steroids. You're also at increased risk if you're on antibiotics, since they kill the friendly bacteria that help control the yeast population in your body.
Probiotics
Probiotics are nonpathogenic bacteria -- this means they don't harm you -- that naturally cultivate certain areas of your body, including your digestive tract. Species of probiotic bacteria include Lactobacillus acidophilus, which helps to ferment milk into yogurt, and which you increase your population of when you eat yogurt and other fermented dairy. Because probiotic bacteria compete with pathogenic, or infectious, bacteria for resources, they help to keep your digestive tract infection-free. They also help control the population of Candida, because they decrease the pH, or increase the acidity, of your digestive tract.
Treating Thrush
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that once you have a thrush infection you can treat it with probiotics. Probiotic bacteria, while they can help keep your immune system from getting overloaded by preventing the growth of too many harmful species, aren't able to fight off pathogens. If you have a thrush infection, you should talk to your doctor. Treatment of thrush generally involves use of an antifungal; typically a lozenge or liquid that you keep in your mouth for several minutes. Infants sometimes get thrush in their mouths from exposure to yeast on the mother's nipples during breastfeeding, but PubMed Health explains that thrush typically clears up on its own in the very young. Still, you should see your pediatrician if you think your baby has thrush.
Preventing Thrush
While there isn't evidence to support the use of probiotics to treat thrush, there's good scientific evidence to indicate that you can use probiotics to prevent thrush. If you're taking a steroid or are put on antibiotics, you might want to consider using a probiotic supplement. In a 2003 article in "Alternative Medicine Review," Dr. Jeanne Drisko and colleagues note that probiotics including Lactobacillus acidophilus help prevent overgrowth of Candida in the gastrointestinal tract. A 2001 study published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" by Lori Kopp-Hoolihan suggests a similar effect, and further notes that probiotics can help support the immune system, which also has a preventative effect against thrush.
