Do Oral Rinses Carry the Risk of Cancer?

While you see many different commercials promoting the use of oral rinses and even many Dentists promoting its use, the other end of the spectrum is
that you might have seen reports saying that these rinses carry the risk of cancer. So, how true is it and if so, should you give up using an oral
rinse all together?

Many of the oral rinses that are available contain in it some ingredients that might not be suitable for long term use. Using these rinses in your day
to day hygiene routine might not be advisable as these cause more damage than help. Let us now see the potential hazards of some of these ingredients.

The most troublesome ingredient of all is the presence of alcohol in your mouthwash. If the oral rinse contains in it alcohol, even
in small concentrations, it has the potential of causing dryness of the mouth. This dryness of the mouth can cause irritation to the gum and other
tissue structures in your mouth and increase inflammation if present.

Not only this, the presence of alcohol in the oral rinse seems to have the potential of leading to cancers of the mouth and the throat. Although it is
directly not known to cause the cancer, it increases the risk substantially.

So, should our oral hygiene habits be restricted to usingtoothpaste and brushing with an electric toothbrush or an ordinary toothbrush?

Experts believe that using a mouthwash does have its benefits and aids in maintaining oral hygiene better although care must be exercised in
choosing an oral rinse. If you are not able to select an appropriate oral rinse by yourself it is best to take advice from your Dentist to see which of
these mouthwashes you can use so that it does not carry the problem of associated adverse effects.