Green Tea for Dental And Oral Health

Research suggests that green tea compounds may offer meaningful benefits for oral health, particularly in reducing levels of cavity-associated bacteria. A randomized controlled trial in children found that a green tea mouthwash reduced salivary counts of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus, with even greater reductions observed when xylitol was added to the formulation. Laboratory research also indicates that polyphenols found in green tea, especially EGCG, can rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in saliva under controlled conditions, though the researchers themselves caution that lab findings do not yet confirm the same effects occur when tea is consumed or gargled in real-world settings. It is worth noting that one of the three linked studies examined leucine and appetite regulation, which is unrelated to oral health, and the available oral health evidence, while directionally supportive, remains limited in scope and would benefit from larger and longer clinical trials before firm conclusions can be drawn.