Role of Antimicrobial Rinses in Oral Care
Therapeutic mouthrinses are designed to benefit patients by preventing and treating specific oral conditions.
But with a wide variety of mouthrinses on the market, patients may face difficulty in selecting a mouthrinse appropriate for their care. To properly advise their patients, dental practitioners must have a fundamental understanding of mouthrinse formulations.
The purpose of therapeutic agents in the formulation is to provide antimicrobial activity, either in the form of Bacteriostatic or Bactericidal Activity. The purpose of inactive agents in the formulation is to help deliver the therapeutic agents to the site of action and assist with patient acceptance and compliance.
The inactive ingredients of antimicrobial mouthrinses include:
Water (~70% by volume)
Humectants (~5 – 20% by volume)
Alcohol (~70% by volume)
Surfactants (~0 – 1% by volume)
Flavoring Agents (~0.1 – 0.4% by volume)
There are several types of antimicrobial mouthrinses depending on the active ingredient:
