Surgeon urges people to immediately stop using certain mouthwash to avoid bowel cancer

Living in a world where everything is processed and mixed while manufacturing, we must check ingredients and pay careful attention to the items we consume. Even essentials like toothpaste and shampoo have a risk of exposure to serious conditions without proper care. A surgeon, Dr. Karan Ranajan, shared that using a particular type of mouthwash can lead to bowel cancer, per a podcast from Teeth Talk Girl. While the case and severity differ for different brands, the expert shared a guideline to figure out whether mouthwash should be discontinued, per Surrey Live. Highlighting the key ingredient to look out for, Dr. Ranjan noted, “People shouldn't be using alcoholic [mouthwash] if they don't need to,” per The Mirror.

He added that we have an “oral microbiome" that gets affected each time it is in contact with the alcohol. It helps in getting rid of good bacteria which is essential in maintaining healthy dental and oral care like healthy gums and teeth and so on. This mainly happens because several mouthwash brands have alcohol in them which is at a higher concentrated level than regular alcoholic beverages. Moreover, the consistent use of mouthwash twice a day increases the seriousness of the effects. Having that high a concentration of alcohol swirling around the mouth regularly means that much of these particles are settling and remaining in the mouth’s surfaces. This causes the mouth to dry and also brings in several unwanted issues orally and internally.

Dr. Ranjan added,  "Some early evidence suggesting that chronic mouthwash use has been linked, from a correlation point of view to increasing rates of colorectal cancers because of that disrupted oral microbiome." An American dental hygienist, Whitney DiFoggio, shared her input with Dr. Ranjan and said that brushing and flossing is the most effective and best way to maintain oral care. “You don't need a mouthwash. Manually brushing the plaque and debris from your teeth with a toothbrush with something to get between your teeth as well as [covering] the fronts, backs, tops and bottoms is what you need,” she explained.

A study done by the Microbiology Society also added to the opinion stating that alcoholic mouthwashes can be linked to various health problems, per Medical News Today. The study found that two bacteria—Fusobacterium nucleatum and streptococcus anginosus are popularly found in mouthwashes and have been connected to several diseases like gum disease, esophageal and colorectal cancer and so on. However, a point to be aware of is that only alcoholic mouthwashes are not likely to cause cancer by themselves.

Physician Dr. Eric Ascher noted, “Mouthwash with alcohol may be a contributing factor if someone is also a smoker, alcoholic, or eats unhealthily but research doesn’t suggest this is the cause of cancer alone. You would also need extensive use of it.” That being said, they still harm. Professor Chris Kenyon suggested, “It [alcohol-based mouthwash] may be safe to use for short periods but based on our findings and other types of evidence, I would not recommend long-term use.” While most mouthwashes contain alcohol and the non-alcoholic ones aren’t significant in killing bacteria in the mouth, careful consideration must be taken while opting for any kind of mouthwash.

You can follow Dr. Karan Ranjan (@drkaranranjan) on Instagram for more content on dental and oral hygiene and health.