Good bacteria in the mouth turn nitrate into nitrite, and when you kill these bacteria with mouthwash, this conversion stops almost completely.
Scientific Claim
In healthy young adults, oral nitrate-reducing bacteria are necessary for converting endogenous nitrate to nitrite, as evidenced by near-complete abolition of oral nitrate-reducing capacity after chlorhexidine mouthwash treatment.
Original Statement
“After mouthwash, oral nitrate-reducing capacity was nearly abolished (∼90% reduction, p < 0.001 for both nitrate doses compared to pretreatment rates, Fig. 3).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The study design supports describing the association between mouthwash use and reduced nitrate-reducing capacity. The language 'are necessary for' is slightly strong but appropriate as the study directly measured the capacity reduction.
More Accurate Statement
“In healthy young adults, oral nitrate-reducing bacteria are associated with converting endogenous nitrate to nitrite, as evidenced by near-complete abolition of oral nitrate-reducing capacity after chlorhexidine mouthwash treatment.”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control