Can mouthwash be used against athlete’s foot?

As with nail fungus, cosmetic mouthwash is absolutely powerless, while a mouth rinse can help fight athlete’s foot. There are again no studies, but some experience reports of users with Listerine®, which could achieve a positive and faster decay of the mushroom disease after regular foot baths. Here again, it applies that no harm can result from the mouth rinse solution and that its use can therefore be applied without hesitation. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee for the success of the therapy and without it a drug therapy must be carried out

Dosage forms

Mouthwash is available either as a concentrate or as a mouthwash in ready-to-use solution. For the concentrate, a few drops on a glass of water are sufficient. The ready-to-use solutions can be used undiluted.

Mouthwash without fluoride

There are mouthwashes with and without fluoride content available on the open market or in pharmacies. In dentistry, fluoride is indispensable, while naturopathy considers fluoride to be controversial, as excessive fluoride consumption can be harmful. If too much fluoride is consumed regularly, fluorosis can occur, which manifests itself in damage to the skeleton, teeth, lung function, skin and in metabolic disorders.

However, the harmful amount cannot be reached by normal use of mouthwash and toothpaste, but would have to be consumed excessively. Therefore, there is no need to worry if a mouthwash with fluoride is used. The mouthwash without fluoride is primarily intended for the group of the population that cannot tolerate fluoride or is even allergic.

Mouthwash without alcohol

In general, it is advisable to avoid alcohol in the mouth rinse solution, since alcohol has a disinfecting effect, but has a negative effect on the oral flora in the long term and is therefore not recommended for long-term use. Alcohol eliminates bacteria, but does not differentiate whether the bacteria are harmful and cause discomfort or belong to the bacteria that support healthy oral flora. Because bacteria in the oral cavity are not always bad, no – there are some that are important for the oral flora and environment.

If the “good” bacteria are also eliminated, the pH value and the composition can change in such a way that the buffering effect of saliva no longer works. Saliva is able to buffer acids and render them harmless, neutralizing the mouth, so to speak. If this effect is lost, the teeth are more susceptible to caries and bacterial diseases and can cause long-term complaints. Mouth rinsing solutions with alcohol are also not suitable for children and pregnant women. Furthermore, studies have shown that the alcohol content is not decisive for the effectiveness of the mouthwash, so it is always advisable to choose an alternative without alcohol.