Just say matcha made in heaven.
Using matcha, a type of green tea, as a mouthwash could lead to a healthier smile, according to new study.
Researchers in Japan used a mouthwash made with matcha extract and were able to inhibit the growth of P. gingivalis, a type of bacteria that causes periodontitis.
The study, published this week in Microbiology Spectrum, was conducted with just 45 people with chronic periodontitis. The participants were divided into three groups and dissolved one of the three powders in water to rinse their mouths. They are flushed with either barley, matcha, or sodium azulene sulfonate hydrate, which is used to treat inflammation. Everyone rinsed twice a day for a month and saliva samples were collected before and after the study.
Those who rinsed with matcha had significantly lower levels of bacterial growth than the other groups.
“Matcha may have clinical application for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis,” the authors wrote in the study.
Periodontitis can be a serious gum disease that affects the tissues surrounding the teeth. When left untreated, it can eat away at the root of a tooth, causing tooth decay or even tooth loss, according to Mayo Clinic. Fortunately, it’s preventable with basic good hygiene habits like brushing, flossing, regular cleanings and, now, maybe a matcha rinse.
In addition to the clinical trial, the study also tested matcha’s ability to kill bacteria in a laboratory setting. Within two hours, almost all cultured P. gingivalis cells had been killed by the matcha extract, and within four hours, all had died.
What’s more, the researchers note, matcha did little to eliminate strains of beneficial bacteria in the mouth—meaning it killed the bad ones while leaving the bacteria necessary for a healthy smile.
Matcha powder, a finely ground green tea popular in everything from cookies to lattes, is already famous for its polyphenolic properties. Polyphenols are an especially powerful type of antioxidant, meaning they have many of the same benefits, such as fighting free radicals and ultimately reducing oxidative stress, according to an article published in Journal of Food Biochemistry.
The green powder, which comes from the green tea plant Camellia sinensis, has also been shown in previous studies to kill other types of bacteria, such as E. coli. In general, green tea is also known to have many health benefits, including being linked to the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease, lowering cholesterol, and being anti-inflammatory as well as neuroprotective, according to a literature review published in the journal Chinese Medicine.
