Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov;73 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S82-S88.
doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2023.08.012. Epub 2023 Oct 17.

The Effects of Antimicrobial Mouthwashes on Systemic Disease: What Is the Evidence?

Mohammad S Alrashdan  1 , Jair Carneiro Leao  2 , Amazon Doble  3 , Michael McCullough  4 , Stephen Porter  5
Affiliations

The Effects of Antimicrobial Mouthwashes on Systemic Disease: What Is the Evidence?

Mohammad S Alrashdan et al. Int Dent J. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

The potential association between antimicrobial mouthwash use and systemic health has gained attention in recent years with reports highlighting how some common systemic conditions are influenced by the use of different types of mouthwashes. In this context, links between mouthwash use and cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, oral cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and preeclampsia have been proposed, albeit with limited levels of evidence. Chlorhexidine mouthwash in particular has been the most widely studied agent while available data on other types of over-the-counter mouthwashes are generally scarce. Furthermore, there is currently no evidence-based recommendations on the appropriate use of mouthwashes during pregnancy. This article will present the current evidence on the association between mouthwash use and the aforementioned conditions with emphasis on the mechanisms that may underlie such an association.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Chlorhexidine; Mouthwash; Periodontitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest None disclosed.

Figures

Fig
Fig
Proposed causal pathways for the association between oral health and systemic complications. Constructed using Biorender (Mehrotra et al. 2021; Munoz-Aguilera et al. 2019; Oparil et al. 2018).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ciancio SG. Mouthwashes: rationale for use. Am J Dent. 2015;28 (Spec No A):4a–8a. - PubMed
    1. James P, Worthington HV, Parnell C, et al. Chlorhexidine mouthrinse as an adjunctive treatment for gingival health. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;3(3) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hasan A, Palmer RM. A clinical guide to periodontology: pathology of periodontal disease. Brit Dent J. 2014;216(8):457–461. - PubMed
    1. Muñoz-Carrillo JL, Hernández-Reyes VE, García-Huerta OE, et al. Periodontal disease-diagnostic and adjunctive non-surgical considerations. IntechOpen; 2019. Pathogenesis of periodontal disease.
    1. Gasner NS, Schure RS. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island, FL: 2023. Periodontal disease. 2022.