Salt water mouth: A panacea for respiratory infections
In daily life, many people hear that salt water mouths prevent all respiratory infections, which is often used as a simple means of preventing disease. However, this is actually a mistake.
The spread of the term saline mouth to prevent respiratory infections may be derived from a preliminary perception of the microbicide properties of salt. Salt does, at a certain concentration, inhibit the growth of certain bacteria. When we wash our mouths with salt water, the salt water stays in the mouth for a short time, in contact with the mouth mucous surface. For some of the bacteria in the mouth, such as some that cause stench and mild dental inflammation, the oscillation pressure of salt water may dehydrate them, thus inhibiting their growth and reproduction and, to a certain extent, maintaining a healthy mouth.
However, respiratory infections are a complex category of disease that encompasses a wide range of conditions caused by different pathogens. For example, most common influenza is caused by viruses such as nasal and coronary viruses, while influenza is caused by specific strains of influenza, and the pathogens of pneumonia are more diverse, ranging from bacteria (e.g., pneumococococcal), viruses (e.g., gland viruses) to troughs. When these pathogens invade the human body, the main route of infection is through respiratory tracts such as nasal cavities, throats, and then the skin cells on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract are implanted and regenerated, leading to a series of inflammatory reactions, such as cough, running snot and fever.
While saline can clean the mouth and reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth, it is almost impotent for pathogens that have entered the deep respiratory tract. As salt water is unable to reach the depths of the respiratory tract, such as the trachea, bronchus and the lungs, it is also impossible to have effects on viruses or bacteria that have invaded these parts. In the case of influenza, for example, which is mainly transmitted through foam, once inhaled and successfully infected upper-respiratory skin cells, it is impossible to remove the virus and stop the infection process by saline mouth alone.
Moreover, over-reliance on salt water mouths to prevent respiratory infections may relieve attention to other more effective prevention measures. For example, during the high-prevalence flu season, influenza vaccination is a very effective prevention tool that can stimulate the human immune system to produce antibodies for specific influenza strains, thus significantly reducing the risk of infection. In addition, good personal hygiene practices such as hand washing, avoiding hand touching mouths and noses and wearing masks in public places can effectively reduce the exposure and spread of pathogens. Increased indoor ventilation and the cleanness of indoor air also helped to reduce the concentration of pathogens in air.
Of course, this is not to say that salt water is useless. In day-to-day oral care, proper salt water mouths can be used as an aid to maintain oral hygiene, reduce oral aroma and prevent local oral inflammation. But we must be clear that it is by no means a panacea for all respiratory infections.
We need to properly understand the role of salt water mouths in preventing respiratory infections and not be misled by this misperception. In the prevention of respiratory infections, a combination of scientifically effective methods, such as vaccination, attention to hygiene and enhanced indoor ventilation, should be used to protect one ‘ s health in all its aspects rather than one-sided reliance on salt water mouths. Only in this way can we better protect our health and that of our families during the season of high respiratory infections.
