Is salt water rinse effective in reducing the microbial load in the oral cavity?

According to a recent study, ‘salt water rinse can be used as adjunct to routine mechanical plaque control for prevention of oral disease.’ In this study, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of salt water against various microbes was first established. Then, participants were allocated into groups based on using a salt water rinse and control group (chlorhexidine) rinse. There was found to be a statistically significant reduction in plaque and A. actinomycetecomitans using salt water rinse, though chlorhexidine was superior against microbes such as S. mutans, L. acidophilus, and P. gingivalis. Unfortunately, only a small sample size of 30 was used during this study so more research is necessary in order to sufficiently understand the benefits of a salt water rinse.

Aravinth, V., Aswath Narayanan, M. B., Ramesh Kumar, S. G., Selvamary, A. L., & Sujatha, A. (2017, October/November). Comparative evaluation of salt water rinse with chlorhexidine against oral microbes: A school-based randomized controlled trial. Retrieved August 23, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28914244

What is the definition of hypertension?

Cardiac pressure overload. Hypertension as described by our clinical parameters of care has a significant effect on our clinical effectiveness due to injection of epinephrine during routine local anesthesia. Definitions of stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension may have since changed (lowered by as much as 10 points).

Parameters of Care, Charles D. Fuszner DMD, A.T. Still University Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health

Does salt water rinse pose a problem to those with hypertension?

Unfortunately, research was not available at the time to confidently answer this question. Though many websites such as http://www.livestrong.com claim there is no real concern, the website does mention why a salt water rinse may be concerning for those who do have hypertension, stating –

“Salt water rinses contain as much as 1 tablespoon of table salt in every 6 to 8 ounces of water. Technically, this solution contains almost 7,000 milligrams of sodium, or about five times more sodium than someone with hypertension should have for the entire day.”

(n.d.). Can Swishing Salt Water in the Mouth Raise Blood Pressure? Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/549311-can-swishing-salt-water-in-the-mouth-raise-blood-pressure/