Which mouthwash is better to combat bad breath in a smoker?

Question

Hello doctor,

Is there a difference in alcoholic and non-alcoholic mouthwash. Which is better at combating bad breath due to smoking than alcoholic? I am in a hygiene school and want to know whether or not to recommend non-alcohol mouthwash for the complaints of bad breath from smoking. I have recommended tongue scraping, alcoholic mouthwash. Anyways, they are not going to stop smoking or drinking. I was looking at a way to have them not dry out the tissues, but stopping the obvious factors do not seem to be an option.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You can definitely prescribe alcohol-free mouthwash in such cases, in fact they are better in the patients who consume alcohol and smoke.

Alcohol-free mouthwash should not contain Benzalkonium chloride (allergen), Sodium lauryl sulfate, Saccharin, or alcohol.

On the other hand, it should have Sodium benzoate, Sodium bicarbonate, and other ingredients that actually help to eliminate bacteria from the mouth. You can check the commercially available mouthwashes in your country.