According to Listerine Professional, WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY, THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND ALCOHOL-CONTAINING MOUTHRINSES.
Alcoholic Beverages
Consumed 1
Excessive consumption is a key factor in carcinogenic risk 1
May contain impurities such as nitrosamines, urethane, and other contaminants1
Alcohol-Containing Mouthrinses
Expectorated (not to be swallowed) 1
Total amount of exposure to alcohol during proper use is insignificant compared to exposure received during excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages because mouthwash is expectorated 1
Use highly purified, pharmaceutical grade ethanol, which is manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines 1
THE SAFETY OF ALCOHOL-CONTAINING MOUTHWASHES HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN CLINICAL STUDIES FOR DECADES
LISTERINE® Antiseptic is the most extensively tested OTC mouthrinse in the world, with over 30 long-term clinical trials examining its safety and efficacy.1-10 Numerous studies over the past 40 years have shown that there is no negative impact detected in the use of mouthrinses containing alcohol.5-10
Clinical studies, meta-analyses, quantitative analyses, and systematic reviews of data have demonstrated that there is no causal link between the use of LISTERINE® Antiseptic mouthrinse and oral cancer or xerostomia.2-10
Clinical study findings
- Favorable tolerability and no increase in dryness of oral tissue in patients with xerostomia (2 weeks of exaggerated use [3x daily] by subjects xerostomic as a result of Sjögren’s syndrome; Fischman SL et al. Am J Dent)2
- No significant differences in salivary flow rates or patient-reported sensations of dry mouth between alcohol- and nonalcohol-containing mouthrinse groups (2-week randomized, crossover pilot studying the use of alcohol- and nonalcohol-containing mouthrinses in healthy adults; Kerr AR et al. Quintessence Int)3
- Alcohol-based essential oil mouthrinse no more likely to cause a reduction in salivary flow or perceived dryness than a non-alcohol-based cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) mouthrinse
(Kerr AR, et al. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod)4
LISTERINE® ANTISEPTIC: NO CREDIBLE LINK TO ORAL CANCER
Clinical study findings
- “There is no sufficient evidence to accept the proposition that the use of mouthwashes containing alcohol can influence the development of oral cancer” (Systematic review of 14 articles—11 case-control studies and 3 clinical trials—on mouthwash use and risk of oral cancer; Aceves Argemí R et al. J Evid BasedDent Pract)5
- No significant association with mouthwash and risk of oral cancer (Meta-analysis of 12 epidemiologic studies on mouthwash and risk of oral cancer; International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC])6
- “Data do not support a causal relationship between use of alcohol-containing mouthrinses and oral cancer” (FDA subcommittee reviewed 7 case-control studies; US Food and Drug Administration)7
- Alcohol-containing mouthwash does not increase risk of oropharyngeal cancer (Review of 9 case-control studies; Cole P et al. J Am Dent Assoc)8
- Link between mouthwash use and oral cancers not supported by epidemiological evidence (Critical review of published data; La Vecchia et al. Oral Oncology)9
- No association between mouthwash use and oral malignancy (Quantitative analysis of all published epidemiological studies of mouthwash use and oral malignancy; Boyle et al. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod)10