Oral rinse for good oral health
Improving oral health through oral care products like mouthwash (oral rinse), throat gargle and toothpaste improves overall quality of life and happiness. Improving oral health through oral care products like mouthwash (oral rinse), throat gargle and toothpaste improves overall quality of life and happiness.
The ‘oral rinse’ formulation is commonly known as a ‘mouthwash’. This liquid preparation is essential for oral healthcare; however, its time is yet to come in most parts of the developing world. Currently, there is great emphasis on toothpaste use for oral health, while the use of mouthwashes is yet to pick up among the masses.
What is a mouthwash or oral rinse?
The mouthwash is a medicated liquid that is held in the mouth and swished by the mouth muscles, for 15 seconds to 30 seconds, to eliminate oral pathogens or disease causing microbes in the mouth. So mouthwashes are mainly used for rinsing: swishing into all parts of the mouth to help eliminate or reduce disease causing germs, including bacteria.
Gargling is the process of taking the gargle liquid to back of throat holding it there and blowing air through the liquid to make a gurgling sound. Many of the oral rinses or mouthwashes are safe to be used as throat gargles. Thus, the oral rinse when used for mouth rinsing and throat gargling helps protect the mouth and throat from infection – thereby, helps avoid the associated soreness, redness, pain, discomfort and difficulty in function of mouth and throat.
The mouth or oral cavity or buccal cavity is an oval shaped cavity. It is the gateway to complete health. The mouth includes lips, gums, teeth, mouth cavity, tongue, salivary glands, and the lower and upper portions of the mouth cavity called palate. The main functions of mouth are talking and ingesting food and drink. Even when chewing food or holding the drink in the mouth, salivary fluid starts to act on the carbohydrates and breaks down carbohydrate starch to glucose.
Further, antiviral and antibacterial substances in saliva help reduce the bacterial and viral load. Thus, the mouth is a most important organ for ingesting, digesting and protecting the body from harmful disease causing agents. Being at the front, oral cavity bears the brunt of pathogenic attack. The pathogenic microbial load in the ingested liquid or solid food is exposed to oral cavity and throat before getting into deeper portions of the alimentary canal.
Bacteria and other microbes present in the ingested food and liquids adhere to spaces and pockets in the gums and between teeth. Sugars and other food substances too get attached to various points in the oral cavity, on which the bacteria and other germs thrive.These bacteria colonize and create a protective barrier called biofilm. As the bacterial colony grows, this leads to formation of a plaque- sticky substance that is removed when we brush our teeth.
When the plaque is resident for a longer time on the teeth, it binds with minerals from saliva and becomes harder; this harder deposit on teeth is called the tartar (or calculus). Brushing away the tartar is difficult; this requires scaling procedure by the dentist. Tartar build up leads to tooth decay and can also lead to infection and inflammation in the gums later on. This is the reason routine salt water rinse and gargling has been advocated for centuries as a part of oral and whole body health hygiene practice. Salt water rinse and gargle acts as a good antimicrobial and healer.
Spit, don’t rinse
One interesting campaign in 2016, from Oral Health Foundation, UK was SPIT DON’T RINSE! As per the campaign, brushing with fluoride toothpaste and then rinsing the mouth – washes away fluoride leaving teeth susceptible to bacteria and consequently, the enamel remains weak. Thus, the advocacy was to spit the toothpaste but don’t rinse and spit! This campaign extolled that mouthwash is not to be used post toothpaste use (https://www.dentalhealth.org/news/spit-dont-rinse-for-better-oral-health). One should use mouthwash after some time, post brushing the teeth.
In 2007 a study of the efficacy of fluoride mouthwash in school children showed that there was 50% decrease in tooth decay in children who used a fluoride mouthwash (https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-use-mouthwash#precautions). Mouthwashes with fluoride, not only saturate saliva with fluoride – but also directly deposit fluoride to teeth enamel and makes teeth stronger, resistant to tooth decay. Fluoride mouthwash and fluoride toothpaste saturate saliva with fluoride – this deposits onto the enamel, thus strengthening the enamel. One should take care not to swallow mouthwash oral rinse.
The use of mouthwash oral rinse and gargling helps reduce microbial load, soothes mouth cavity and reduces gum inflammation, thereby making the person more confident with a fresh breath. Oral health improves quality of life of an individual, as he is able to speak, eat and consume beverages comfortably.
Discomfort in eating and drinking due to oral health issues, causes significant decrease of food and nutritive intake, further dental issues lead to disturbed sleep too. Hence, improving oral health through oral care products like mouthwash (oral rinse), throat gargle and toothpaste improves overall quality of life and happiness.
Loss of dental quality of life is particularly severe in aged and diabetics. Prompt use of a useful type of toothpaste, and mouthwash or oral rinse (including throat gargling if the oral rinse can be gargled) is mandatory in the aged and diabetics. Among diabetics, hyposalivation or reduced saliva production further worsens oral problems like tooth decay, weak enamel and bad breath. Hence, for these groups in particular the mouthwash oral rinse and gargle concept is very apt.
End note: Next time while looking at the mouthwash or oral rinse brands in the supermarket and chemist shelves don’t think they are non-essential luxury products of indulgence. Oral rinse and throat gargle oral care products are very essential to help avoid and treat oral and throat infections (particularly in the aged and diabetics), also the pain, inflammation and loss of function associated with such oral infections is avoided, and further there is a boost to confidence through fresh breath and good oral health.
Discuss about the oral rinse brand choices with the pharmacist, dentist, family physician, ENT doctors, surgeons or other doctors with whom you have a rapport. And choose a good brand of oral rinse throat gargle; use the same twice daily similar to oral care toothpaste – this approach shall definitely boost your overall health and quality of life.
Sunil S Chiplunkar
M Pharm (Pharmacology) MBA (Marketing) PGDHRM (PhD)
VP – Business Development
Group Pharmaceuticals, Bangalore
E mail: 1969sunilchiplunkar@gmail.com
Ph. 6364578669
