Several peer-reviewed medical articles have explained how raw honey could be used in the mouth to decrease the pathogens causing tooth decay and gum disease.
Honey is a complex superfood
There are various types of honey, but manuka honey and multifloral honeys are among the most frequently researched varieties. That may be for good reason. Manuka honey may be the best type of honey.
As with all raw honey, manuka honey is roughly 80% sugars and 17% water. The last 3% is composed of minerals, organic acids, enzymes, etc.
Manuka honey has up to four times the nutritional content of all other flower honeys. Most of the pharmacological effects of honey come from polyphenols, which are found in large concentrations in honey.
The "sugar" part of honey also contributes to its medicinal benefit. The high sugar content causes hypertonic conditions around microbes, which leads to the lysis and destruction of the microbial cell walls.
9 oral benefits of honey
Below are nine ways honey can benefit the mouth and gums:
- Honey exerts antibacterial effects on nearly 60 species and prevents the development of resistant strains of bacteria.
- Manuka honey is effective in preventing the growth of biofilm organisms, reducing the production of acids, and reducing gingivitis.
- Randomized controlled trials indicate honey helps prevent dental caries and gingivitis following orthodontic treatment.
- A double-blind randomized controlled trial demonstrated that manuka honey and other raw honeys are almost as effective as chlorhexidine as a mouthwash.
- Manuka honey controls odor and inflammation in wounds secondary to squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.
- Honey has cytotoxic effects on cultured oral squamous cell carcinomas.
- Multiple reports indicate honey is beneficial in the treatment of radiation-induced mucositis in people undergoing curative radiotherapy for their head and neck cancer.
- Honey is helpful in treating dry mouth in people undergoing radiation treatment for their head and neck cancer.
- Honey enhances wound healing in nonhealing or recurrent wounds in the head and neck area after radiotherapy.
Practical applications
There are a number of ways to get to the benefits of honey in your daily routine. Here are just a few:
- As toothpaste: Put about 0.5 teaspoon of manuka honey in your mouth and spread it around your teeth using your tongue. Then use an electric toothbrush as you would normally brush.
- For oral soft-tissue lesions: Swish 0.25-0.5 teaspoon of honey around your mouth for one minute or so, then swallow. Use as often as necessary.
- For lips and corners of mouth: Apply manuka honey to dry lips and sore corners of the mouth as needed.
- For systemic benefits: Eat about 0.5 teaspoon of honey two to three times a day for benefits such as improving symptoms from upper respiratory infections, preventing gastric ulcers, and improving digestive symptoms.
- As mouthwash: If you feel the need to freshen your mouth, swish 0.25-0.5 teaspoon of honey, then swallow. This routine also works if you have dry mouth or xerostomia.
A little research into the subject of honey can tell you much, much more, Ask your dentist if he/she has studied these important benefits and whether he would recommend it.
