Mouthwash is a staple in many people's daily hygiene routines, but a top doctor has issued an urgent warning about a crucial detail that everyone should be aware of. Dr Karan Rajan, a British surgeon working for the NHS, has raised concerns over certain types of mouthwash due to their potential link to an increased risk of developing specific forms of cancer.
He emphasised the importance of checking labels and opting for alcohol-free products. The expert cautioned: "People shouldn't be using alcoholic [mouthwash] if they don't need to. We are increasingly appreciating that we have an oral microbiome, and these can be affected by alcohol."
Dr Rajan explained that any mouthwash containing alcohol will disrupt this microbiome, eliminating essential functions, reports the Express. For instance, he noted that much of the "good" bacteria in our mouths help protect our teeth and gums, freshen our breath, and assist in digestion.
Alcohol-based mouthwash differs from alcoholic drinks - it contains a higher concentration of alcohol and stays in contact with your teeth for a longer duration.
By rinsing our mouths with an alcohol-based solution twice daily, we could be setting ourselves up for serious health issues down the line. He added: "Some early evidence suggesting that chronic mouthwash use has been linked, from a correlation point of view, to increasing rates of colorectal cancers because of that disrupted oral microbiome."
Additionally, experts have discovered that an alcoholic mouthwash can actually dry out your mouth, potentially exacerbating bad breath. The use of alcoholic mouthwash can lead to a host of problems such as burning mouth sensation, mucosal pain, the softening of composite filling materials, teeth staining, enamel erosion, and even ulcers.
In his podcast 'Dr Karan Explores', Dr Rajan welcomed Whitney DiFoggio, a US-based dental hygienist. DiFoggio raised questions about the necessity of mouthwash, mentioning: "You don't need a mouthwash. Manually brushing the plaque and debris from your teeth with a toothbrush with something to get between your teeth as well as [covering] the fronts, backs, tops and bottoms is what you need."
While the NHS advises that mouthwash containing fluoride can be instrumental in averting tooth decay, they also recommend not to use it directly after tooth brushing to avoid rinsing away the high-concentration fluoride from the toothpaste on your teeth. Instead, it is suggested to use mouthwash at an alternative time, such as post-lunch.
Also, the NHS notes that after employing a fluoride mouthwash, one should refrain from consuming food or drinks for at least 30 minutes.
