Mouthwashes with hydrogen peroxide are carcinogenic, but are freely indicated on the Internet: warn your patients!

Alberto CONSOLARO

It all began in Ancient Egypt where people used to bleach their teeth with antiseptic mouthwashes made of urea from human urine. Teeth harmony is promoted by expression of feelings, communication, a real window of the brain and its content! Tooth bleaching products are medicines, not cosmetics! Mouth washing with hydrogen peroxide is an illogical and dangerous procedure! Hydrogen peroxide must be used in one’s mouth only when employed by a dentist who has been properly instructed to protect the mucosa, preventing it from receiving these products. How and for how long these products are going to be used require caution in order to avoid or decrease any adverse efects on the tissues. Many websites instruct people on how to purchase and prepare hydrogen peroxide so that it is used as an antiseptic mouthwash and tooth bleaching agent. Some websites even refer to dentists as “exploiters”, accusing them of not instructing patients properly. In this article, we aim at providing evidence and information upon which dentists and assistants may base their thinking as well as their opinion and procedures regarding “the indiscriminate and free use of hydrogen peroxide in the mouth, on teeth and oral mucosa”. Those websites, blogs and social network proiles trespass the limits of public trust and should be immediately sued by the government for committing a crime against public health.

Keywords: Hydrogen peroxide. Mouth washing. Rinsing. Teeth bleaching. Teeth whitening.

How to cite: Consolaro A. Mouthwashes with hydrogen peroxide are carcinogenic, but are freely indicated on the Internet: warn your patients! Dental Press J Orthod. 2013 Nov-Dec;18(6):5-12.

Friday, December 27, 2024 13:33