Using mouthwash that kills bacteria in the mouth makes it harder for the body to convert nitrate to nitrite, which lowers nitrite levels in the blood.

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 (observational crossover) can support quantitative associations but not causation. The language 'is associated with' appropriately reflects the correlational nature of the findings.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2013 Feb

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control

Score: 45

DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2012.11.013

Similar Assertions

Using mouthwash that kills mouth bacteria leads to higher levels of nitrate in both saliva and blood.

92%

Good bacteria in the mouth turn nitrate into nitrite, and when you kill these bacteria with mouthwash, this conversion stops almost completely.

87%

Bacteria in the mouth help keep nitrite levels in the blood stable, which is shown by the fact that people with higher nitrite in their saliva also tend to have higher nitrite in their blood.

87%

Using a special mouthwash for a week killed some good bacteria in the mouth, which made less nitrite in saliva and blood, and this caused blood pressure to go up a little bit.

87%

Using mouthwash that kills mouth bacteria might be bad for heart health because it raises blood pressure by disrupting the body's natural nitrite balance.

86%