Mouthwash cancer risk

by LotusFlower | January 10, 2009 at 03:42 pm

1063 views | 31 Recommendations | 13 comments

Halitosis is something that none of want and many people use a mouthwash to help combat bad breath but concern over mouthwashes possibly causing cancer has been raised by Australian health experts.

The research is published in the Dental Journal of Australia and calls for mouthwashes containing alcohol to be removed from shop shelves. This would be the majority of mouthwashes currently on the market.

Their review, published in the Dental Journal of Australia, concludes there is now "sufficient evidence" that "alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer".

The ethanol in mouthwash is thought to allow cancer-causing substances to permeate the lining of the mouth more easily and cause harm.

Acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product of alcohol that may accumulate in the oral cavity when swished around the mouth, is also believed to be carcinogenic.

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Tina Kells

at 15:52 on January 10th, 2009

That is crazy! What else can they use in the mouthwash?

LotusFlower

at 16:01 on January 10th, 2009

Hi Tina - I'm not sure what they use but there are a number of alcohol free mouthwashes available - even alcohol free Oral-B which here in the UK is a top brand. Some contain herbal extracts not in alcohol.

Vitality4Life (not verified)

at 21:45 on January 11th, 2009

Bio-Pro Perioclear Mouthwash-PerioClear®

is a powerful alcohol-free oral rinse and mouthwash that moistens tissue, freshens breath for hours and encourages periodontal health.
This advanced mouthwash contains organic and responsibly wild crafted herbs including Echinacea, Green Tea and Olive Leaf, ingredients well-known for promoting healthy gums.

Bio-Pro Oral Health Program features products that are:

Preservative-Free
Fluoride-free
Promote cell vitality with patented extract of Phytoplenolin*
Vegetarian
Alcohol-free, and contain no synthetic chemicals and solvents,

sodium lauryl sulfate, artificial sweeteners, colors and dyes.

158

at 16:11 on January 10th, 2009

Is any product safe to use?

car1edb

at 23:55 on January 10th, 2009

So, what about neat whiskey or red wine?
Cancer as also? everything contains carcinogens these days, etc. I guess it depends how much of it your are exposed to.

LotusFlower

at 00:13 on January 11th, 2009

Good point. Maybe the act of using it just after brushing is a factor in terms of the gums - I'll go read the report a little more closely to see if there are any clues there.

r3c (not verified)

at 18:23 on March 17th, 2009

a bit delayed but I believe that excessive alcohol consumption DOES increase the risk for cancer (about five fold, or something on that level). And that's talking about just drinking the alcohol not holding it in ur mouth for 30 second straight day and night.

And yes everyone always makes fun of the fact that everything seems to be a carcinogen while that may be true the scientific community only lists products/materials as being carcinogenic if there is a sufficiently increased risk, as in something that WOULD show up on a statistical study done properly... so please stop going around and saying that everything is carcinogenic these days it makes the actual carcinogens seem much more harmless than they really are

rpshen

at 10:53 on January 11th, 2009

This is crazy. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

jonwirons (not verified)

at 15:24 on January 11th, 2009

Scope photo courtesy of Jon Irons, the Humanihilsocialist on Flickr.

Roy C

at 19:40 on January 12th, 2009

The question not asked here is: does the reduction in infection and in chronic inflammation reduce the risk of cancer more than the alcohol raises the risk?

And, if alcohol causes cancer from acetaldehyde, then a diet rich in the amino-acid cysteine and enough B1 and C, three times the weight of cysteine, will destroy the acetaldehyde.

In fact, you will never have a hangover if you use a gram or so of cysteine, some B1 and three grams of C before you drink.

The "LD-50", the lethal dose at which 50% of test animals die from acetaldehyde, can be virtually eliminated by the use of cysteine, C and B1.

Hey, and have these researchers quit drinking ?