GUM® Dual Action Tongue Cleaner

The GUM® Dual Action Tongue Cleaner is designed to clean bacteria and plaque off of the tongue. There has been extensive research regarding the benefits of cleaning the tongue during oral hygiene care. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this product and there are also special conditions where this product is essential in the oral hygiene routine.

There is much debate about if it is necessary to include tongue cleaning into everyday oral hygiene habits. In eastern countries, tongue cleaning has a regular part in oral hygiene, adversely, in western countries; tongue cleaning has not regularly been included in oral hygiene (1). Typically, the tongue is pinkish and may have a small whitish coating. As an individual ages, his tongue can become discolored due to many reasons including: change of diet, decrease in salivary flow and lack of ability to perform oral hygiene functions (1). The coating of the tongue is made up of epithelial cells from the lining of the oral cavity, leukocytes, and bacteria (1). Evidence shows large amounts of coating on the tongue contributes to halitosis also known as bad breath(2).

Studies have been performed testing the efficacy of tongue cleaning. It is important for everyone to perform tongue cleaning in his or her oral hygiene routine, especially those individuals with periodontal disease or those who complain about bad breath also known as halitosis. Tongue brushing along with other forms of oral hygiene care has shown to be an effective method in the reduction of plaque, and an average reduction in halitosis from 59% to 88% (1).

The use of the GUM® Dual Action Tongue Cleaner has many advantages. It is specifically designed to clean the tongue, and has been shown to be more...

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...ease taste sensation. Using a tongue cleaner that is designed for only the tongue is beneficial to the quality of the cleaning. The GUM® Dual Action Tongue Cleaner is the clear choice for all the patients’ tongue cleaning needs.

Works Cited

1. Danser M, Gómez S, Weijden G. Tongue coating and tongue brushing: a literature review. Int J Dent Hygiene 1. 8 May 2003: 151-158.

2. Christensen J. Why clean your tongue? JADA. November 1998; 129: 1605-1607.

3. Bordas A, McNab R, Staples A, Bowman J, Kanapka J, Bosma M. Impact of different tongue cleaning methods on the bacterial load of the tongue dorsum. Archives of Oral Biology. 2008; 53 (1): S13-S18.

4. GUM® Dual Action Tongue Cleaner [Internet]. Chicago: Sunstar Americas Inc; 2014 [cited 19 January 2014]. Available from: http://www.gumbrand.com/tongue-cleaner/products/gum-dual-action-tongue-cleaner/.