A tongue cleaner (also called a tongue scraper or tongue brush) is an oral hygiene device designed to clean the coating on the upper surface of the tongue. While there is tentative benefit from the use of a tongue cleaner it is insufficient to draw clear conclusions regarding bad breath.[1]
The large surface area and lingual papilla are anatomical features of the tongue that promote tongue coating by retaining microorganisms and oral debris consisting of food, saliva and dead epithelial cells.[2][3][4] Tongue cleaning is done less often than tooth brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash.[2][3]
- ^ Van der Sleen, Mi; Slot, De; Van Trijffel, E; Winkel, Eg; Van der Weijden, Ga (2010-11-01). "Effectiveness of mechanical tongue cleaning on breath odour and tongue coating: a systematic review". International Journal of Dental Hygiene. 8 (4): 258–268. doi:10.1111/j.1601-5037.2010.00479.x. ISSN 1601-5037. PMID 20961381.
- ^ a b Christensen, G. J. (1998-11-01). "Why clean your tongue?". Journal of the American Dental Association. 129 (11): 1605–1607. doi:10.14219/jada.archive.1998.0109. ISSN 0002-8177. PMID 9818580.
- ^ a b Bordas, Alice; McNab, Rod; Staples, Angela M.; Bowman, Jim; Kanapka, Joe; Bosma, Marylynn P. (2008-04-01). "Impact of different tongue cleaning methods on the bacterial load of the tongue dorsum". Archives of Oral Biology. 53 Suppl 1: S13–18. doi:10.1016/S0003-9969(08)70004-9. ISSN 0003-9969. PMID 18460399.
- ^ Danser, M. M; Gómez, S. Mantilla; Van der Weijden, G. A (2003-08-01). "Tongue coating and tongue brushing: a literature review". International Journal of Dental Hygiene. 1 (3): 151–158. doi:10.1034/j.1601-5037.2003.00034.x. ISSN 1601-5037. PMID 16451515.