# Study: Top-selling mouthwash brands, including Listerine, linked to cancer



## mango (Jan 10, 2009)

*Top-selling mouthwash brands, including Listerine, linked to cancer

By Clair Weaver
The Sunday Telegraph
January 11, 2009 12:01am*
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24895211-421,00.html


* Mouthwashes linked to oral cancer
* Experts warn there is strong evidence of danger
* "Avoid mouthwashes containing alcohol"

AUSTRALIA'S top-selling mouthwashes can cause oral cancer and should be pulled from supermarket shelves immediately.

Leading independent experts have issued this strong warning after investigating latest scientific evidence linking alcohol-containing mouthwashes to the deadly disease.

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.

Listerine, the nation's biggest-selling mouthwash and a brand endorsed by the Australian Dental Association (ADA), contains as much as 26 per cent alcohol. 

Mouthwash is one of the fastest-growing grocery products in Australia, with the category now worth more than $75 million, according to latest Nielsen market research.

Lead review author Professor Michael McCullough has told The Sunday Telegraph alcohol-containing mouthwash should be reclassified as prescription-only and carry written health warnings.

Prof McCullough, chair of the ADA's therapeutics committee and associate professor of oral medicine at the University of Melbourne, is calling on the ADA to urgently re-assess its seal of approval on mouthwashes containing alcohol.

"We see people with oral cancer who have no other risk factors than the use of alcohol-containing mouthwash, so what we've done in this study is review all the evidence that's out there," he said.

"Since this article came out, further evidence has come out too. We believe there should be warnings.

"If it was a facial cream that had the effect of reducing acne but had a four- to five-fold increased risk of skin cancer, no one would be recommending it."

Oral cancer is a gruelling and mutilating disease that afflicts more than 800 Australians each year and kills half of them within five years of being diagnosed.

Smoking and alcohol consumption are well-established risk factors, but alcohol-containing mouthwash use is more controversial.


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## Rowan (Jan 10, 2009)

oh good...something new to add to the already huge list of things that are going to kill me eventually....*jots it down*

something new every day lol


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## steely (Jan 10, 2009)

That doesn't surprise me.Just trying to use Listerine feels like you're going to die.


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## Blackjack (Jan 10, 2009)

Everything gives you cancer.


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## No-No-Badkitty (Jan 10, 2009)

Blackjack said:


> Everything gives you cancer.



Yup, especially breathing, so we'd all better quit now.


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## thatgirl08 (Jan 10, 2009)

Blackjack said:


> Everything gives you cancer.



Yeah, I was going to say this.


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## Miss Vickie (Jan 10, 2009)

Dentists have known for a long time that over-use of alcohol based mouthwashes cause an imbalance of flora in the mouth, which can lead to an overgrowth of problematic bacteria and yeasts. Google "black, hairy tongue" sometime and see what you find. 

Really, though, if you brush and floss and keep your teeth in good working order and your gums healthy, you should not have bad breath (food odors aside). Something I call "perio breath" is something that no mouthwash in the world can entirely get rid of, nor should it; it's a sign that there us truly something WRONG. That smell of decayed and rotting flesh is a sign that you need help. It means that you have periodontal disease, something 80% of adults in the US have, the vast majority of which goes untreated. The good news is that the earlier you treat it the less likely it is that you'll lose your teeth. It's somewhat reversible with some dental treatments and good follow up home care.

Other than that, your mouth shouldn't smell, except like something you've just eaten. And for situations like that, they invented this really cool thing: it's called a toothbrush. Or if you left your toothbrush at home, I'm a big fan of Altoids. They cover a multiple of smells, particularly coffee breath.


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## lypeaches (Jan 12, 2009)

I use Hydrogen Peroxide, myself. Very effective, and cheap to boot. At first I didn't like it, but now I'm addicted to the after sensation.


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## thatgirl08 (Jan 12, 2009)

lypeaches said:


> I use Hydrogen Peroxide, myself. Very effective, and cheap to boot. At first I didn't like it, but now I'm addicted to the after sensation.



Is that really safe to ingest at all?


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## lypeaches (Jan 12, 2009)

Uhm, not really ingesting it...just rinsing with it, and then rinsing very well with water afterwards. It's actually a FDA approved application of it, if that means anything to you. Just the 3% household grade...not the strong stuff.


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## thatgirl08 (Jan 12, 2009)

lypeaches said:


> Uhm, not really ingesting it...just rinsing with it, and then rinsing very well with water afterwards. It's actually a FDA approved application of it, if that means anything to you. Just the 3% household grade...not the strong stuff.



Oh, right, that makes sense. Just curious.


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## Miss Vickie (Jan 12, 2009)

Yeah, household grade is okay to use for rinsing. The super oxygenation of the hydrogen peroxide gets rid of anaerobic microbes, which are the guys that seem to cause all the problems.

You wouldn't want to apply full strength hydrogen peroxide to any spot on your body because it can damage your cells. But food grade is fine, and can be helpful especially with deep puncture wounds. "The bubbles tell you it's working".


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## No-No-Badkitty (Jan 12, 2009)

thatgirl08 said:


> Is that really safe to ingest at all?



Yes, it's actually pretty safe to injest, but it will make you puke. They use peroxide all the time to make people vomit that ate things that they shouldn't have


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