Antimicrobials

Wait, what am I putting in my mouth?

There are a variety of antimicrobials used in dental products with varying effectiveness and a range of pros vs. cons.

Alcohol: will kill bacteria at high concentrations, may cause drying to oral tissues, has an acidic pH, may be harmful to composite fillings and bonding agents.

Chlorhexidine: kills some strains of oral bacteria, although specifically not effective against Lactobacillus, a major bacterial strain implicated in the caries infection. It often stains teeth, alters taste, can impede tissue healing. Is most affective at an alkaline pH, although is commercially dispensed in an acidic formulation.

Chlorine Dioxide: chlorine dioxide is an oxidizing agent (this means that it releases oxygen). Because most of the bacteria that cause bad breath are anaerobic (meaning, they prefer to live in environments devoid of oxygen), exposing them to an oxidizing agent can help to minimize their numbers. Chlorine dioxide has the ability to neutralize volatile sulfur compounds. It also has the ability to degrade the precursor components utilized by bacteria use when making VSC's. The net effect is that the overall concentration of volatile sulfur compounds found in a person's breath is reduced, and as a result their breath will be more pleasant.

Essential Oils: eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, and thymol, commonly found in mouth rinse, have antiseptic effect, acidic pH.

Licorice Root: contains at least two compounds that appear to be potent inhibitors of Mutans Streptococcus. It is currently available in the form of a lollipop. Strep is just one of the 23 identified strains of organisms implicated in the dental caries infection.

Sodium Hypochlorite: has many of the properties of an ideal antimicrobial agent, including few reactions or complications, broad antimicrobial activity, rapid bactericidal action, relative non-toxicity at use concentrations, no color, no staining, and ease of access. Hypochlorite is lethal to most bacteria, fungi and viruses. Hypochlorite solutions will gradually lose strength, so that fresh solutions should be prepared daily. Disadvantages include irritation of mucous membranes when used in high concentrations. No contraindications exist.