Hydrogen Water Kills Harmful Mouth Bacteria in Lab Study
- Authors
- Masahiro Okajima, Miho Kanzaki, Yoshio Ishibashi, Yuko Wada, Fumio Hino, Yoshiyasu Kitahara, Ken-ich Shimokawa, Fumiyoshi Ishii
- Journal
- Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics
- Year
- 2011
- DOI
- 10.5582/ddt.2011.v5.6.306
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Periodontal Disease
- Body System
- Oral
TL;DR
A special type of water called electrolyzed ion-reduced water, with or without an added substance, can kill more than 99% of two common gum disease-causing bacteria in just 15 seconds.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed ion-reduced water killed over 99% of major gum disease-causing bacteria within 15 seconds in laboratory tests.
Summary
Researchers tested a special type of water created through electrolysis (a process using electrical current) against two bacteria that cause gum disease. The water killed more than 99% of both bacterial types within 15 seconds, and the effect was stronger at higher concentrations. The study was conducted in laboratory dishes rather than in people or animals.
Practical Takeaway
While this laboratory study suggests electrolyzed water may have antimicrobial properties against gum disease bacteria, it was only tested in a dish, not in human mouths or clinical settings. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before drawing any conclusions about its effectiveness for preventing or treating periodontal disease.
Abstract
As typical periodontopathic bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) were exposed to electrolyzed ion-reduced water (ERI) and ERI containing 1% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) (ERI-1% CMC-Na), and the time course of their bactericidal action was evaluated. More than 99% of each bacteria species were killed after exposure to each solution for 15 sec. In addition, 1% CMC-Na, which was added to prolong bactericidal action, did not affect the bactericidal action of ERI. Its bactericidal action was concentration-dependent. No viable P. gingivalis bacteria were observed at a concentration of 15% of the undiluted solution and no viable A. actinomycetemcomitans bacteria were observed at a concentration of 50%, indicating differences in the bactericidal action of ERI for the two bacteria species. These results suggest that ERI may be extremely useful in preventing and treating periodontal diseases.