Hydrogen Water Fights Harmful Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay
- Authors
- Jinkyung Kim, Heon-Jin Lee, Su-Hyung Hong
- Journal
- Journal of Dentistry
- Year
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jdent.2017.01.004
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Dental Caries
- Body System
- Oral
TL;DR
Rinsing with hydrogen-rich water (H-water) can significantly reduce the formation of harmful dental biofilms and the number of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced streptococcal biofilm formation in laboratory tests and decreased cavity-causing bacteria in saliva after one week of oral rinsing.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich water (water infused with extra hydrogen gas) could reduce bacterial biofilm—a sticky coating of bacteria that builds up on teeth and causes cavities and gum disease. In lab tests, hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced the amount of biofilm formed by streptococcal bacteria and decreased the bacteria's ability to produce the sticky substances needed to attach to teeth. When people rinsed their mouths with hydrogen-rich water for a week, they had fewer of these bacteria in their saliva compared to those who rinsed with regular tap water.
Practical Takeaway
This laboratory study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help reduce oral bacteria associated with cavities and gum disease, but these results come from cell cultures and a small human rinse study, not large clinical trials. More research in humans is needed before hydrogen-rich water can be recommended as a dental treatment. Anyone interested in trying it should discuss it with their dentist first.
Abstract
Objectives: The accumulation of oral bacterial biofilm is the main etiological factor of oral diseases. Recently, electrolyzed hydrogen-rich water (H-water) has been shown to act as an effective antioxidant by reducing oxidative stress. In addition to this general health benefit, H-water has antibacterial activity for disease-associated oral bacteria. However, little is known about the effect of H-water on oral bacterial biofilm. The objective of this study was to confirm the effect of H-water on streptococcal biofilm formation. Methods: In vitro streptococcal biofilm was quantified using crystal violet staining after culture on a polystyrene plate. The effect of H-water on the expression of genes involved in insoluble glucan synthesis and glucan binding, which are critical steps for oral biofilm formation, was evaluated in MS. In addition, we compared the number of salivary streptococci after oral rinse with H-water and that with control tap water. Salivary streptococci were quantified by counting viable colonies on Mitis Salivarius agar-bacitracin. Results: Our data showed that H-water caused a significant decrease in in vitro streptococcal biofilm formation. The expression level of the mRNA of glucosyltransferases (gtfB, gtfc, and gtfI) and glucan-binding proteins (gbpC, dblB) were decreased remarkably in MS after H-water exposure for 60s. Furthermore, oral rinse with H-water for 1 week led to significantly fewer salivary streptococci than did that with control tap water. Conclusions: Our data suggest that oral rinse with H-water would be helpful in treating dental biofilm-dependent diseases with ease and efficiency.