3 health benefits of tongue scraping or cleaning

Here's why you need to clean your tongue every day without fail!

How often do you clean your tongue? Well, if you are just happy with brushing your teeth and feel that that is more than enough to keep your mouth healthy think again! Here are a few health benefits of tongue scraping or cleaning. Here are 5 gross things that happen when you don’t clean your tongue.

1. Can treat halitosis: It is estimated that around 85% of all halitosis cases are due to problems in the mouth, 50% of which are caused by the presence of tongue residues. A 2004 study [1] which was later updated in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that although toothbrush can help in removing the coating on the tongue, a tongue scraper is more effective. Moreover, tongue cleaning helps in reducing a load of volatile sulphur compounds production by the microbes thereby helping you to fight bad breath.

2. Inhibits dental plaque: Although a direct correlation has not been reported between tongue cleaning and inhibition of dental plaque it does aid in lowering the microbial load in the mouth. According to the study in the BMC Oral Health [1], tongue cleaning reduced the number of bacteria in the tongue coating and also helped in the recovery of good flora (F. nucleatumin) thereby promoting overall oral health. Here are 10 tips for better tongue hygiene that can help you!

3. Improves taste sensation: If you are loading on cheese and salty foods in your diet, it can ultimately affect your taste buds. Moreover, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine will further aggravate the condition. This causes the formation of a thick residue on the tongue, robbing you of the taste. However, scraping your tongue every day can help you to reduce the tongue coating, and putrefaction by bacteria thereby improves taste sensation. This was proved by a 2004 study published in the Journal of Periodontology [1]. Also read about what your tongue says a lot about your health!

References:
1. Pedrazzi V, Sato S, de Mattos Mda G, Lara EH, Panzeri H. Tongue-cleaning methods: a comparative clinical trial employing a toothbrush and a tongue scraper. J Periodontol. 2004 Jul;75(7):1009-12. PubMed PMID: 15341360.

2.Matsui M, Chosa N, Shimoyama Y, Minami K, Kimura S, Kishi M. Effects of tongue cleaning on bacterial flora in tongue coating and dental plaque: a crossover study. BMC Oral Health. 2014 Jan 14;14:4. doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-14-4. PubMed PMID: 24423407; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3898367.

3. Quirynen M, Avontroodt P, Soers C, Zhao H, Pauwels M, van Steenberghe D. Impact of tongue cleansers on microbial load and taste. J Clin Periodontol. 2004 Jul;31(7):506-10. PubMed PMID: 15191584.