What’s the Best Mouthwash for Bad Breath?

Did you know that as many as half of all Americans say that they suffer from bad breath?
Many people have turned to mouthwash to try to curb their oral odor, but does mouthwash really help fight bad breath? If so, which one is the best?

Mouthwash Can Fight Bad Breath

Many mouthwashes used to simply provide a strong, pleasant aroma to cover up bad breath. As time passed, mouthwash manufacturers began adding certain ingredients to their mouthwashes to help fight bad breath.
Today, there are many varieties of mouthwash available. Although most of them have flavors that would appear to freshen your breath, only mouthwashes that contain certain ingredients are able to help fight bad breath.
Researchers wanted to find out whether or not mouthwashes actually helped fight bad breath. The following quote is from a systematic review that combined the results of five different studies to determine the following:
"This review, which included five trials (293 participants), found that there is some evidence that mouthrinses containing antibacterial agents such as chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium chloride or those containing chlorine dioxide and zinc can to some extent reduce the unpleasant odour but the use of mouthrinses containing chlorhexidine resulted in noticeable but temporary staining of the tongue and teeth."
As long as the mouthwash contains an antibacterial agent such as chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) or zinc and/or chlorine dioxide, it may be able to fight bad breath.
In the United States, mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine are only available by prescription. The only antibacterial that this review found to be effective against bad breath that is also available over the counter in the United States is CPC. CPC in combination with zinc can be found in many mouthwashes.

Breath Rx mouthwash can fight bad breath

This BreathRx mouthwash from Amazon contains CPC as well as zinc to neutralize bad breath-causing volatile sulfur compounds. Crest Pro Health mouthwashes are another alternative, but they have been the target of some rather negative reviews.
You may be wondering where other mouthwash products such as Listerine fit in. Listerine contains a variety of essential oils that decrease bad breath. Although Listerine was shown to decrease bad breath in many of the studies that were reviewed, products containing an antibacterial along with zinc were shown to do a better job at fighting bad breath.

Is Mouthwash the Best Method of Fighting Bad Breath?

Although many people use mouthwash because it is easy to simply rinse their mouth out, there are other ways of fighting bad breath. Good oral hygiene along with cleaning your tongue has been shown to reduce bad breath