Hydrogen Water Kills Harmful Mouth Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay
- Authors
- Zhibin Liu, Eungyung Kim, Su-Hyung Hong, Kirim Kim, Eun-Kyong Kim, Myoung-Ok Kim
- Journal
- Indian Journal of Dental Research
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.4103/ijdr.ijdr_948_22
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Dental Caries
- Body System
- Oral
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich water with a neutral pH can kill tooth decay-causing bacteria and prevent them from forming harmful layers on teeth, making it a potential mouthwash.
Key Finding
Electrolysed hydrogen-rich water at neutral pH significantly reduced the growth of cavity-causing bacteria and their ability to form biofilms (sticky bacterial coatings) in laboratory tests.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich water made through electrolysis could kill cavity-causing bacteria in the laboratory. When they exposed two types of cavity-causing bacteria to this hydrogen-rich water for one minute, bacterial growth slowed down, fewer bacteria survived, and the bacteria produced less of the sticky material they use to form plaque-like coatings on teeth.
Practical Takeaway
This laboratory study suggests hydrogen-rich water may have potential as a mouthwash ingredient, but the research was conducted only in test tubes with isolated bacteria—not in human mouths or even animal studies. Much more research, including clinical trials in people, would be needed before drawing any conclusions about whether it would actually help prevent cavities or oral infections in real-world use.
Abstract
Context: Some kinds of electrolysed water have been reported to exhibit antioxidant and bactericidal activity. However, studies on the effect of electrolysed hydrogen-rich water (EHW) with a neutral pH on cariogenic bacteria are limited. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using EHW as a mouthwash by examining its various effects on cariogenic bacteria. Materials and methods: To test the bactericidal and anti-biofilm formation effects of EHW on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, bacterial growth curves, colony-forming unit (CFU) counts, and crystal violet staining of biofilms were examined after exposing the bacterial pellets to EHW or tap water as a control for one minute. In addition, the expressions of glucosyltransferase and glucan-binding proteins encoding genes were examined using real-time PCR. Results: Bacterial growth and biofilm formation were inhibited, and the number of CFUs was significantly reduced in the EHW group compared to the control group. The expression of genes encoding glucosyltransferases (gtfB, gtfC, and gtfI) and glucan-binding proteins (gbpC and dblB) were also decreased in the EHW group compared to the control. Conclusions: Exposing cariogenic bacteria to EHW at neutral pH for one minute can effectively inhibit bacterial growth and biofilm formation in vitro, suggesting that EHW is a promising mouthwash.