{"id":25887,"date":"2025-01-31T12:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T18:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/?p=25887"},"modified":"2025-01-31T08:56:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T14:56:02","slug":"the-trouble-with-mouthwash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/2025\/01\/31\/the-trouble-with-mouthwash\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trouble with Mouthwash"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mouthwash is a bedrock of oral hygiene. So why do some say it harms the mouth? The answer is a mix of misunderstanding and bad headlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Human Microbiome Project of 2007 illustrated the mouth is home to hundreds of previously unrecognized <\/span>good<\/span><\/i> bacteria. Dentists used to call plaque \u201c<\/span>biofilm,<\/span><\/i>\u201d but plaque is a biofilm <\/span>infection<\/span><\/i>, and healthy biofilm is protective and the <\/span>goal<\/span><\/i> of good oral care. Studies show 40% of adult biofilm develops in childhood, which illustrates the tenacity of biofilm and challenges any idea \u201cmouthrinse\u201d could damage it. So, how did this wrong information become news?<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Specificity:<\/b> Any liquid \u201cwashes\u201d the mouth, so if we discuss \u201cmouthwash\u201d we <\/span>must<\/span><\/i> be s<\/span>pecific<\/span><\/i>:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n