Title:
Testing the effectiveness of Alcohol and Alcohol- free Mouthwash against Bacteria
Introduction:
Large numbers of these products claim to do the same thing: kill bacteria. It is worth considering what these products actually do, compared to the claims about them.
Although many of these products promise that they present with a final 0% bacteria environment and fresh breath, the accuracy of this statement is highly dependent on the ingredients present within the solution.
Alcohol is a highly common ingredient in most mouthwashes because of its strong bacteria fighting effects. It has been used for many years by leading oral health care brands. Although this is a positive effect of alcohol in mouthwashes, many mouthwashes containing alcohol have been proven to have caused other health care problems such as dry mouth, etc. So, although alcoholic mouthwash kills much of the bacteria, it does not have an effect on the end result of the continuous problem of bad breath. Hence, mouthwashes that are alcohol free but contain another bacteria killing agent are more effective.
Recent studies completed by Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS showing that “products containing alcohol like Listerine wound up reducing bacteria in patients by between 13 percent and 56 percent, whilst Non-alcoholic rinses, such as Colgate Pro-Health, had a 15 percent effect on bacteria.” (Goldie, 2013)
For this experiment, a range of mouthwashes were used to test whether alcohol-based mouthwashes are more effective than non-alcohol-based mouthwashes. Products tested included two leading brands most commonly found and used within the everyday household, Listerine and Colgate. From these two brands a selection of four mouthwashes were chosen- Two alcohol fre...
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...both bacteria.
The final mouthwash tested Listerine Zero, proved to be the least effective, with an average of 3.47058824mm for S.albus and an average of 2.47647059 mm of E.coli. Containing no alcohol, this is the least effective.
The results from the raw data in Figure Two were then calculated into four averages and then presented in a Graph Figure Three.
Figure Three – Calculated averages of results recorded.
From Figure Three, it is clearly evident that Colgate Plax provided the best results and was the most effective against both E.coli and S.albus. Listerine Fresh Burst was the second most effective against S.albus and third best for E.coli. . Colgate Max White One was the third most effective for S.albus and second best for E.coli and Listerine Zero was the least effective for both S.albus and E.coli
Does hand sanitizer actually kill 99.9 percent of germs? Well throughout this paper you will find out. Throughout this paper you will also find out what is in hand sanitizer, how it is made, how it kills germs, and the history of it. Hand sanitizer is a very important tool to many people who work in the medical field, and in an office. Without it, there would be many more viruses and germs around and that would not be good.
Parents and teachers encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, touching dirty objects, and sometimes before eating. Next to every tissue box there will most likely be a bottle of hand sanitizer that kills 99.9% of germs. Both hand soap and hand sanitizer kill off the germs and bacteria that can cause infections and diseases. Which one works best? The purpose of this experiment is to show which is more effective, hand soap or hand sanitizer (Bjornsson). To prove this, Bjornsson writes up a lab using the growth of bread mold to help identify the results of both products (Bjornsson). I believe that hand soap works better than hand sanitizers because doctors remind us that we should wash our hands especially during flu season to keep us healthy. Therefore, the hypothesis for this lab is that the hand soap will be the better alternative and will slow down the growth of bread mold more than the hand sanitizer in this experiment.
Dental carries is one of the most common oral diseases in the world, and it often goes untreated due to the expense of treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 60 to 90 percent of school aged children throughout the world suffer from untreated dental carries. Ethnic minorities, the poor, the elderly, and those who are mentally and/or physically disabled are other disparities who also suffer from untreated dental caries (Alcorn & Rogo; 2012). Looking for a way to solve the epidemic of dental caries by providing affordable treatment, silver diamine fluoride (SDF), also known as the “silver fluoride bullet,” was created. Claiming to be both affordable and effective, SDF could be the answer to low cost carries treatment the world has been searching for. The purpose of this paper is to research the efficacy of silver diamine fluoride in comparison to sodium fluoride varnish. Our PICO question is: In a patient with dentinal caries, will the use of silver diamine fluoride compared to sodium fluoride varnish, be more effective at arresting caries?
If bacteria is not monitored at all, many different disease such as gingivitis and periodontitis can occur (2). The Lab Manual also stated that bacteria can enter through the oral cavity, get into the bloodstream, and can cause endocarditis in the heart tissue. Given all these possible horrible scenarios, every effort made towards lowering the amount of bacteria in our oral cavity has potential to save lives. Our research will consist of trying to answer an important question, “What substances could help prevent bacteria (pathogen) buildup in the oral cavity”. The first thinking that we had behind this came from those gum commercials you see on T.V. that say “kills bad breath and bacteria”. Well we were curious as to what chemical compound found inside gum has the capability to kill bacteria. It turns out that one of the key factors for the bacteria killing effect found in chewing gum, is known as Xylitol. Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol and is used as a “sugar free” substitute in many chewing gum brands
Clorox and Lysol are the most commonly used disinfectants in the country. Disinfectants are used to kill bacteria which are microorganisms that grow rapidly and that can be found everywhere. Bacteria cannot be seen with the naked eyes but they are present, on your phone, desk, computer, even in the air, and they can also lead to diseases such as cholera. Some people prefer Clorox over Lysol to clean with. These two disinfectants had been tested to find out which one is the most effective at killing bacteria. Clorox is often said to be the best due to containing an active ingredient known as sodium hypochlorite which contains antibacterial activity. To test this hypothesis, a table was sprayed in three different sections, one with Clorox, one
Listerine created a market for mouthwash in the 1920’s when they marketed it as a solution to chronic halitosis. However, in 1983, a new feature was added in which Listerine also fights plaque making it more desirable for consumers concerned with dental hygiene. Today, it continues to fight bad breath, and plaque having 70% of the total market share. According to Johnson & Johnson’s 2012 Annual Report one of the positive contributors to operational results was international sales of Listerine oral care products.
The bacteria that live in biofilms are difficult to treat for many reasons. Oral biofilms are varied and complex and each has its own individual micro-ecology. This micro-ecology changes as it matures and during the maturation process the density of microbes increases. The mature biofilm becomes more difficult to treat because the maturation process provides protection against
Assessment and prevention are key nursing steps in eliminating potential problems. There are many tools that will assist nurses assessing patient’s oral health, included are Minimum Data Set and Resident Assessment protocols. These tools will help with determining the need for consultation and referral. Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) is another tool that will help nurses develop a care plan individualized to patient’s needs. This paper will investigate an oral hygiene care guideline by comparing recommendations in the guideline to current nursing research. The aspects of the guideline that will be evaluated focuses on risk factors, assessment, development of oral care plan and prevention and strategies.
Several articles specifically address not just hand hygiene but specifically hand washing or the use of alcohol based hand sanitizers.
Molinari, J., & Hart, J. (2010). How to Choose and Use Environmental Surface Disinfectants. Cottone's Practical Infection Control in Dentistry (Third Edition ed., pp. 185- 193). Philadelphia: Wolters Kumar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Brushing your teeth twice a day only cleans twenty-five percent of the mouth at a time. It is for this reason why dentist recommend a healthy fluoride solution to be included into your daily brushing routine; this mouthwash solution will help flush away any food remnants and harmful bacteria from the hard to reach crevasses in the mouth. If this step is skipped it can lead to the formation of dental caries and gum disease, which can lead to worse things if they are not taken care of. To help stress the importance of dental hygiene, Listerine, which is a mouth wash company, released an advertisement for their cool mint flavored antiseptic mouthwash in the hopes of getting non-mouthwash users to jump on the Listerine mouthwash band wagon to proper
Alcohol is an ethanol containing substance that is a common beverage in many social and private settings. Alcohol is also a teratogen, therefore alcohol co...
Prolonged dry time is a major deterrent for most people who work in health care. If alcohol based hand sanitizers stop the steady flow of work in a busy healthcare facility, healthcare employees will be less likely to use them due to lack of time. In a study done by Macinga, Shumaker, Werner, Edmonds, Leslie, Parker, & Arbogast (2014), it was found that the volume of alcohol based hand rub used in order to be effective in reducing infections, illnesses, and diseases actually increases the dry time required for the alcohol based hand rubs (p. 5). This could lead to decreased compliance in alcohol based hand rub use in healthcare facilities. Healthcare facilities must find alcohol based hand rubs that have an adequate amount of alcohol to still be effective but does not significantly increase the dry time of alcohol based hand
There is no doubt that the alcohol companies thrive on that and bank on making a profit. No one really considers the consumer’s health. Let’s focus on other things like it tastes good or how it makes you feel.
To see which name brand of hand sanitizer will work the best in disinfecting bacteria and mold. This experiment will show people which hand sanitizer works best to stay disinfected when there is no access to soap and water when needed.