title: Listerine® Products: An Update on the Efficacy and Safety.
abstract: In the 19th century, the mouthwash Listerine® was formulated from four essential oils. Later, the oils were replaced by their marker substances. To keep them in solution, 24-27% ethanol was added as a vehicle. This is an update of our previous review on the efficacy and safety of Listerine®.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed was searched for clinical studies on the therapeutic benefits and safety of Listerine® from the end of 2011 to the end of October 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen studies were found and extracted. Three of the four 6-month studies were of sound confirmatory design. Two of these investigated Listerine® and one Listerine Zero®. The evidence of effectiveness for Listerine®, based on the bulk of three confirmatory studies and numerous exploratory studies carried out so far, is strong, but only moderate for Listerine® Zero and poor for Listerine® Cool Blue. In the three safety studies identified, we found methodological flaws that biased the results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evidence is accumulating that Listerine® is effective in improving oral health, but the absence of systematic toxicological studies means that an accurate safety assessment cannot be made.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, Center for Dental Medicine.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vlachojannis
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, Center for Dental Medicine.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, Center for Dental Medicine.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hellwig
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chrubasik
mesh_terms: D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009067:Mouthwashes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009909:Oral Health; D012459:Salicylates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013729:Terpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D009067:Mouthwashes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D012459:Salicylates; D013729:Terpenes; C057473:Listerine
keywords: Listerine®; dental plaque formation; eucalyptol; gingivitis; menthol; methyl salicylate; safety; thymol