Health risk: high blood pressure can be caused by mouth rinses

Mouth rinses – A popular tool for oral hygiene

Mouth rinses, are now a fixed asset of each household. They are a popular tool to gingivitis, fight plaque ,tooth decay as well as halitosis. Even dentists speak their recommendations for mouth rinses with chlorhexidine. This broadband antiseptic is used in addition to the normal teeth cleaning, a commercially available mouth rinses are purchase chlorhexidine without prescription in the trading.

Chlorhexidine – Helpful or not?

The frequently used in mouth rinses used chlorhexidine is an antiseptic substance, which destroys not only the harmful bacteria but also the helpful mouth flora and in this way lead to hypertension. Because one of the tasks of this beneficial bacteria is the regulation of blood pressure, for example. Researchers at the University of Texas and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston showed now in the current investigation, such as chlorhexidine also leads to an increased blood pressure. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

Success with chlorhexidine

Chlorhexidine adheres to the skin long to the teeth and the oral mucosa, as a result, its long-explains-lasting effect. Due to the anti-bacterial property of caries and dental plaque should be prevented. In the case of an application of chlorhexidine over a four week period, the teeth were reduced in the supporting documents to be successful. Gums inflammation have improved, however only in a very slight extent, in greater inflammation in the oral cavity is not a reliable improvement was noted.

Side effects of chlorhexidine

The mouth rinses contained chlorhexidine can result in an application of no longer than four weeks, often discoloration of the teeth, to skin, partly Tartar, in a temporary Taste disturbance and damage to the lining of the mouth. Chlorhexidine-containing mouth rinses are not suitable for a permanent application.

Mouthwashes can raise your blood pressure

Of course, chlorhexidine causes damage to not only the oral mucosa, but also the beneficial bacteria that make up our oral flora, including, apparently, those that would normally help to keep the blood pressure at a normal healthy level, the study showed.

The researchers at the University of Texas and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston showed that chlorhexidine destroyed those beneficial bacteria of the oral flora is involved in the conversion of nitrate to nitric oxide. Just nitric oxide, in turn, is a signal molecule that keeps the blood pressure stable. These beneficial bacteria are missing, also the regulator is missing increases nitric oxide and blood pressure.

What time is increases the blood pressure

After a week in the study mentioned that a twice daily mouth rinse changed with chlorhexidine on the oral flora, and at the same time the blood pressure. In the case of the study participants to multiple saliva samples and tongue swabs taken. Regularly, the blood pressure was measured at the beginning of the study and at the end also. The researchers report the increased systolic blood pressure in their subjects after just one week of clearly. Only after the Discontinuation of the mouth rinse was able to regenerate the oral flora back to normal, the blood pressure is regulated slowly, because of the beneficial nitric oxide-producing bacteria in the oral flora to settle again and were able to multiply.

New approach in the therapy of hypertension

This new knowledge is given the million hypertension patients worldwide, is of enormous importance, especially since two out of three of these patients, despite blood pressure-lowering medicines a high blood pressure, without know what it is exactly. Thanks to this study could involve the mouth flora in the therapy of high blood pressure, and measures to contribute to a remediation of the oral flora, so that the nitric oxide-producing bacteria can settle. Also, of course, a healthy diet is one of the prerequisites of an intact oral flora.

Blood pressure regulation by nitric oxide

Nitric oxide is one of the most important signaling molecules in the human body, the researchers say. It is, therefore, almost everywhere in the organism, also in the oral cavity produced nitric oxide, in addition to the blood pressure regulation of many other important health tasks. Therefore, anti-septic mouth rinse, the use of millions of people every Morning, unfortunately, a habit that brings more harm than desired. (fm)