




Mouthwashes may stain teeth
Over-the-counter mouthwashes really do kill bad breath, although some may stain the tongue and teeth, at least temporarily, according to the first systematic review of the effectiveness of these products. The findings are published in the Cochrane Library. Bad breath, or halitosis, is caused by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth, producing foul-smelling sulphur compounds. Antibacterial mouthrinses are widely used to treat bad breath, despite some uncertainty about their effectiveness. Researchers from the ministry of health in Bahrain reviewed five randomly controlled studies that compared various over-the-counter mouthrinses to placebo in a total of 293 adults over the age of 18 with bad breath. They found evidence that compared with placebo and as judged by the human nose, mouth rinses containing antibacterial agents such as chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium do markedly reduce levels of odor-causing bacteria on the tongue, while those containing chlorine dioxide and zinc neutralize foul-smelling sulfur compounds.


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