Floss does have the weakest evidence going for it, hence its position last on the list. It stayed above the “worth it” line due to the low cost and risk. I also believe it has an impact on quality of life even if the mortality effect turns out to be small. I do need to add a discussion of this to my post at some point.
Necroposting, but do you have any more information on mouthwashes as a source of risk? The one I use (Crest pro health) doesn’t appear to contain chlorohexadine, but does contain another chlorine compound (cetylpyridinium chloride).
Wikipedia says cetylpyridinium chloride is an antiseptic. Assuming the blood pressure-raising mechanism is, in fact, killing off beneficial microbes, then we would expect cetylpyridinium chloride to have similar effects.
I don’t know anything about whether this product causes heart attacks, but any mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride may cause horrible stains on your teeth. Check out the customer reviews on Amazon, where this mouthwash has a one star average rating. I can testify from personal experience that this phenomenon is real, and not some negative marketing campaign instigated by their competitors: I used this mouthwash for less than a month, and it took my dental hygienist almost an hour to remove the stains.
Floss does have the weakest evidence going for it, hence its position last on the list. It stayed above the “worth it” line due to the low cost and risk. I also believe it has an impact on quality of life even if the mortality effect turns out to be small. I do need to add a discussion of this to my post at some point.
Some mouthwashes may be risky
Necroposting, but do you have any more information on mouthwashes as a source of risk? The one I use (Crest pro health) doesn’t appear to contain chlorohexadine, but does contain another chlorine compound (cetylpyridinium chloride).
Wikipedia says cetylpyridinium chloride is an antiseptic. Assuming the blood pressure-raising mechanism is, in fact, killing off beneficial microbes, then we would expect cetylpyridinium chloride to have similar effects.
I don’t know anything about whether this product causes heart attacks, but any mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride may cause horrible stains on your teeth. Check out the customer reviews on Amazon, where this mouthwash has a one star average rating. I can testify from personal experience that this phenomenon is real, and not some negative marketing campaign instigated by their competitors: I used this mouthwash for less than a month, and it took my dental hygienist almost an hour to remove the stains.