Frequency of Tongue Cleaning Impacts the Human Tongue Microbiome Composition and Enterosalivary Circulation of Nitrate.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Prospective single-arm before-after intervention study without a parallel control group
PubMed 30881924 · doi:10.3389/fcimb.2019.00039
What was done
Healthy normotensive individuals free of oral disease with documented oral hygiene behaviors were evaluated before, during, and after 1 week of twice-daily chlorhexidine antiseptic mouthwash use. Researchers measured resting systolic blood pressure and analyzed tongue bacterial communities via 16S rRNA gene sequencing to assess the impact of antiseptic use and tongue cleaning frequency.
What was found
Twice-daily chlorhexidine use for 1 week was associated with a significant increase in resting systolic blood pressure, and tongue cleaning frequency predicted both blood pressure and microbiome changes. Discontinuation and recovery resulted in an enrichment of nitrate-reducing bacteria on the tongue. Individuals with higher levels of bacterial nitrite reductases had lower resting systolic blood pressure. The abstract reported no exact numerical values, effect sizes, p-values, or participant counts.
Why it matters
This study links tongue cleaning habits and oral microbial composition to blood pressure regulation through the enterosalivary nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway, showing that non-selective oral antiseptics can adversely affect vascular tone.
Limits
The abstract omits the sample size, baseline blood pressure values, effect magnitudes, and participant demographic details. The study lacked a randomized control or placebo group, and follow-up was limited to a short one-week exposure period.
Cited by
- supports Swishing with disinfecting mouthwash twice a day elevates blood pressure within two to three days by compromising nitric oxide production.
- partial Tongue scraping decreases blood pressure by promoting nitric oxide production from the oral microbiome.