That Burning From Mouthwash? It's Cancer
Great news, kids! Australian researcher Michael McCullough says you should stop using alcoholic mouthwashes like Listerine and Scope because they could give you oral cancer.
[Alcohol] increases the permeability of the mucosa to other carcinogens like nicotine," explains Professor McCullough. "But also the first breakdown product of alcohol with enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase is acetaldehyde. And acetaldehyde is a known human carcinogen."
[...]
He says there is enough evidence to suggest dentists should not be recommending long-term use, and earlier this evening the New Zealand Ministry of Health advised that it is not sensible to use alcohol-containing mouthwash long-term without advice from a dentist.
Smokers are still far more likely than mouthwash users to get oral cancer—fifty times more likely, according to some studies, so you shouldn't rush over to the oncologist's office at the first pangs of a new canker sore.
Dentists also say that you don't really need mouthwash if you brush and floss regularly and eat a healthy diet. Which, um, we all do, right?
Research shows some mouthwashes may cause cancer [3 News] (Thanks to Shaula!)
Mouthwash linked with increased cancer risk [ABC]
The role of alcohol in oral carcinogenesis with particular reference to alcohol-containing mouthwashes [Australia Dental Journal Abstract]
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Comments:
Mouthwash can make you more susceptible to cancer?
Maybe, but in a pinch it will still get you drunk.
Well, two things:
1. Correlation != Causation
2. The EtOH metabolism pathway is in the liver, so unless you are actually swallowing large amounts of the mouthwash, it will not be metabolized to acetylaldehyde. Secondly, the researcher's assumption there ignores the second step in the EtOH metabolism pathway, which is the conversion of acetylaldehyde to acetic acid, which is catalyzed by acetylaldehyde dehydrogenase, which eliminates acetylaldehyde.
Guess I should switch to Crest's alcohol free version (well the Walmart* version)
there's a new independent study that states that breathing air can increase the risk of cancer.
news at 11
btw did you know eating too much BBQ can increase cancer too because you're eating a lot of carcinogen's..
OMG somebody call Famous Dave's their selling death!
Acetaldehyde, sometimes known as ethanal, is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3CHO or MeCHO. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in ripe fruit, coffee, and fresh bread, and is produced by plants as part of their normal metabolism.
So as part of this line of thinking, we should also eliminate fruits and bread... because they cause cancer.
Is there a study that shows alcoholics get more cases of oral cancer? B/c, you know, they have alcohol in their mouth more than I have mouth wash.
That being said, since one of my medications leads me to get canker sores pretty easily, I found the Crest Pro-Clean stuff really helps me get rid of them when followed by a quick rinse of hydrogen peroxide.
Battra92-- You should look that up here, I and many others have had that demon mouthwash cause brown stains on our teeth that are hard to get out. Crest also doesn't take any responsibility for it and it is up to you to foot the bill.
Slight possibility of cancer (and how many people you know have been using Listerine for YEARS and nothing wrong) or significant possibility of seriously F-d up teeth? You decide.
Where is the evidence? Did someone do a study or something? From the article: "It hasn't actually been established that there is a direct relationship between mouthwashes with alcohol and oral cancer," Dr Neil Hewson from the Australian Dental Association says."
Please remove the misleading headline about the fake research. Thanks.
*gargle* *gargle* wha?..
The thing with all these medical studies is that they only prove one thing - lazy journalism. Most of the time there is no context for the study given and a couple weeks later you are watching the news and some other study has different results. TV stations love them since they can tease, "Something in your bathroom may cause cancer. Details at 11."
being a chemist, I know that alcohol dehydrogenase works all the time to turn alcohol into acetaldehyde for you in your liver when you take a drink of natty light. If we should avoid alcohol in mouthwash, is Professor McCullough may be suggesting that we never drink liquor again? That would be the logical conclusion from the premise that acetaldehyde causes cancer... Maybe the mouth is unusually susceptible to cancer from this source, since you douse your liver in acetaldehyde when you drink ethanol anyways...
Although drinking everyday can cause health problems too, acetaldehyde is a common feeling in the human experience - ever had a hangover? too much acetaldehyde!
Anyways, I think I should go read the article...
The CDC just released a list of ten highest causes of cancer
10. Mouthwash
9. Powdered donuts
8. Dreadlocks on white guys
7. Reruns of "Xena: Warrior Princess"
6. Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" album
5. Egyptian mummy curses
4. Jessica Simpson
3. The Food Network
2. Breathing
1. Cancer
First off, IANAD, but...
Is it just me, or does the study not really say it causes cancer?
we believe that there is now sufficient evidence to accept the proposition that alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer [emphasis added]
Bad science! Bad bad bad! we do NOT presume causation without quantitative data and double-blind tests!
It looks like all they're saying is that it's theoretically possible for there to be an increased risk, and that they understand the mechanism by which such a risk would be caused. but they haven't actually proven it, or shown how much that increase in risk is. If someone wants to shell out 43 bucks for the full article, i'd be more than happy to check it out.
WTF? Shouldn't drinking alcohol cause the most cancer of all then?
@PorkchopSandwiches!_GitEmSteveDave: might just be the hydrogen peroxide, its an excellent debriding agent.
@lpranal and the magic holiday taco dip: And it's probably one of those situations where you have to use mouthwash 15 times a day in order to suffer any ill effects.
@lpranal and the magic holiday taco dip: Nope. I've tried different combos, and I think the Crest Pro kills whatever bacteria are causing the canker sore, and the h2o2 debrides it, helping me to heal better.
So the alcohol in the mouthwash is bad, but the Sodium Saccharine, the sodium fluoride, and the sodium lauryl sulfate is ok?
This is old news.
When people drink alcohol, like in beer, wine liquor etc., alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver converts that alcohol (ethanol) to acetaldehyde (AKA ethanal) which circulates throughout your body until, at some point down the line, it makes it back to the liver and is process from acetaldehyde into acetic acid (vinegar) by aldehyde dehydrogenase. The acetic acid is then excreted via the kidneys.
Thats it! Im flossing everyday for now!
Just as long as I don't forget...
LOL! thats a good list right there.
@henwy:
The other effects of just drinking tend to get you before the cancer - cirrhosis, etc.
Chronic drinkers and smokers tend to have *MUCH* higher incidences of oral cancer than do non-drinkers/non-smokers or people who are chronic drinkers/chronic smokers.
Umm, the burning from Listerine is caused by the mint oils and not the alcohol.
flossing is the real key for keeping your mouth and teeth clean. sure, it's a pain in the ass to do it every single day, but it really, really makes a difference.
and when you go for your dental checkup and they ask if you floss and you say yes? they can totally tell when you're lying.
Hm. I think I had an ex girlfriend that gave me oral cancer.
Wait, they do not say the mouthwash is a problem. What they say is more interestin: by excessively cleaning any open sores or whatever are more readily open to infiltartion by whatever you have in your mouth for a while after. Which may include some by-product of tobacco. OR germs, viruses, alcohol and its byproducts... Remember, in the regions where it is produced curare is often drunk - quite safely as long as there are no open sores from lips to stomach, where it is rapidly destroyed, despite being an extremely dangerous drug//poison if it passes directly into the bloodstream an carried to the areas where it has deadly effect.
@battra92: Or none of the above, as the non-alcohol version is well known to cause brown spots on your enamel - sometimes they need to be bleached away (they can't be brushed off).
Then there are the problems with the bleaches either being not strong enough or making your teeth sensitive...
Yeah, stick with the "none of the above"... it's less work.
Yeah...well, for about two years my dentist has recommended I use non-alcohol mouth wash at night before I go to bed. That along with my trusty old Sonicare has given me four straight clean bills of health. No gum bleeding at all during the cleanings.
So, don't run away from mouthwash. Just run away from mouthwash with alcohol.
Let me reiterate: The dental community has know about this for a very long time.
@PorkchopSandwiches!_GitEmSteveDave: Yes. Good lord, yes. Countless studies. Try Google. Start here. [www.oralcancerfoundation.org]
@kittenfoo: Flossing every day is a PITA? Geez, never seemed tough to me, I gotta wonder how low the bar is for someone to find THAT difficult.
@battra92: Consumerist has an article on that, too. They said it took away some people's sense of taste to varying degrees, in addition to the above-mentioned nasty stains.
I wish there was a safer alternative. My dorm lifestyle has me eating nasty, non-whole foods all the time, which ferment like rotten grapes in a yeast factory in my mouth. I used Crest the day before that post, and quit out of fear although I had no side effects (yet). Then I started using generic alcohol mouthwash. If that's bad, what can I gargle? My whole mouth tastes nasty without it when I'm eating the stuff at school, no matter how much I brush or floss.
@Skankingmike: Oxygen is an oxidant. Seriously, Reader's Digest once ran an article about the anti-oxidant concept, and they actually said that each breath of oxygen is dangerous and destroys cells.
Really, can't magazines just say "There's a balance out there you need to reach to be healthy, and it doesn't come down to a simplistic soundbyte"?
@FrankenPC: +1 on the sonicare. def. not a gimmick, and it actually works (if used properly) kinda pricey, but you can get some amazing deals on ebay (NOT used ones, of course...)
Tonight at 11: New study, Based on assumptions; null hypothesis; and dated scientific research, finds life.....IS CANCER!!!!
Details at eleven
Fortunately, you'll only get cancer until next month when "new studies show" that using mouthwash doesn't cause cancer, but actually increases your life span.
If you can, hold off using Listerine until February.
@FrankenPC: Sonicare wasn't so great for me..what helped me was..a children sized toothbrush. I have a small mouth.
Yes, I was definitely recommended an alcohol free mouthwash when I was at my dentist a few years back. She said it would help a lot.
@TVarmy: But then they couldn't scare you into paying attention to them, which would result in millions of advertising dollars lost.
Technically being in direct sunlight for more than 8 minutes is causing cells in your body to become cancerous.
Really everything causes cancer because cancer is a catchall for when your cells stop functioning correctly.
Basically, take all the this and that cause cancer news with a grain of salt.
This is absolute bunk. Alcohol has to be metabolized by our liver to become acetaldehyde. No one I know admits to drinking large quantities of listerine, and if they do, they have other problems to worry about. Also, acetaldehyde is found in most fruits, so tough luck, if you eat fruit you're eating known carcinogens!
Does this professor work for ACT or Crest or another manufacturer of alcohol free mouth wash?
@FrankenPC: There was actually a thread a while back about the side-effects of Crest ProHealth mouthwash and several dentists came in and said they prefer alcohol mouthwashes but that the others work fine, too.
@dweebster: It's actually a great challenge for me because I have a small mouth opening, so maybe next time you can speak for yourself.
@dweebster: It is for me. Flossing properly between every tooth takes up more time than I have patience for. It's not that I think it's difficult, it's that I find it tedious.
Saccharine caused cancer in lab rats because they metabolize saccharine differently than humans do. We don't have the metabolic pathway that causes the cancer.
(Much like how chocolate is fatal to dogs)
Sodium Fluoride: there are TONS of websites out there that are teeming with insane people who think Fluoride is some big conspiracy. It's not. Fluoridated water is not going to kill people. Don't like it? Get a water filtration/water softener system. And then make sure your dentist doesn't use a precautionary fluoride paste on your teeth. You get about 100x more fluoride in that treatment than in a solid year of drinking fluoridated water. Good luck with the shitty teeth, though.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is NOT necessarily worse than anything else you come in contact with during the day. . It's an extremely effective detergent that is used in pretty much everything- even the laboratory. Stop regurgitating uninformed echain mails about Herbal Essences.
Wow, I can't believe eggs (eating or not eating, depending on the day) didn't make it into the top ten.
Or listening to Hannah Montana albums.
@lpranal and the magic holiday taco dip:
And a double-blind test of this nature would be unethical science. Unethical unethical unethical! You can't subject people to something you hypothesize causes cancer if they don't already use it, meaning you'd have to give the placebo to non-users, rendering a double-blind test, well, NOT double-blind.
Brush your teeth really well, brush your tongue because that's where a lot of bacteria lies...I get the reasoning for mouthwash, but it's not like teeth are going to crumble without it.