[Update on side effects of alcohol-containing antiseptic mouthwashes].

Antiseptic mouthwashes are widely prescribed in odontostomatology. Also, they are increasingly integrated in routine oral hygiene programs. Graded ethanol is present in many of the available mouthwashes. This has continuously raised the concern about their safety and potential side effects of the alcohol in their composition. Alcohol was associated in many reports to cancers of the oral and pharyngeal region. Xerostomia was also suggested as a potential side effect of alcohol-containing mouthwashes. Although substantial evidence supports the association of ethanol to oral cancer, the supposed association lacks of consistency and scientific evidence. Future research is needed to determine the causal relationship of alcohol-containing mouthwashes and oral cancers. On the other hand, the benefit of alcohol in mouthwashes composition is not scientifically established.