Mouthwash ‘could lead to greater incidences of heart attacks and strokes’

Mouthwash can be a “disaster” for your health, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London found blood pressure levels increase after taking Corsodyl, one of the best known brands of mouthwash.

According to lead researcher Prof Amrita Ahluwalia, mouthwash kills off both good and bad bacteria.

As a result, the blood vessels relax because they don’t have to work as hard to kill off harmful bacteria and blood pressure rises.

“Killing off all these bugs each day is a disaster, when small rises in blood pressure have significant impact on morbidity and mortality from heart disease and stroke,” she said.

The study compared blood pressure levels in 19 healthy volunteers who started using Corsodyl twice daily. Their blood pressure rose by between 2 and 3.5 units (mmgh).

That effect appeared the following day after mouthwash was used, according to the research which is published in the journal, Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

She advised that the public use mouthwash only if they have a gum or tooth infection.

The findings have been disputed by the maker of Corsodyl maker, GlaxoSmithKline, which said the original Corsodyl product was meant to be used only for short-term use.

It contains 0.2 per cent of the antiseptic chlorhexidine while its other product, Corsodyl Daily, contains 0.06 per cent chlorhexidine for everyday use.

The GlaxoSmithKline spokesman said the company’s own research had “not highlighted any concerns regarding the use of Corsodyl 0.2 per cent mouthwash as directed and increases in blood pressure”.