This study aimed to explore the use and perceived
benefits of mouthwash among Malaysian adults.
Method: This is a cross-sectional study which was
conducted in public places around the states of Selangor
and Penang, Malaysia. It is a questionnaire-based study
which was conducted as face-to-face interview. A convenience
sample of 792 mouthwash users was recruited
in 2013 in an ethically approved study (International
Medical University). The study instrument was formulated
on the basis of literature search and subjected to 20
experts for validation purpose. A pilot study was
conducted to compute Cronbach Alpha (0.78). Data
was entered into PASW version 20. Descriptive and
inferential statistics were applied.
Results: A response rate of 99% was achieved. More
than two third of the respondents are female, suggesting
women are more likely to use mouthwash (n ¼486; 61.8
%). The major reason to use mouthwash were to mask
halitosis (n¼287; 36.5%) and to prevent oral diseases
(n¼243; 30.9%). Majority knew that fluoride helps in
reducing plaque (n¼599; 76.1%) and tooth decay
(n¼631; 80.2%). Respondents were not clear that only
tooth brushing alone is insufficient to prevent gum
disease (n¼553; 70.3%). More than two thirds perceived
that mouthwash is useful in reducing plaque (n¼567;
72.0%) as well as periodontal disease (n¼580; 73.7%).
Respondents perceived that mouthwash is more effective
in eliminating halitosis (n¼714; 90.7%) and preventing
caries (n¼630; 80.1%). The frequency of mouthwash use
was statistically significant with age, gender, race and
monthly income (p¼0.018. 0.091, 0.010, 0.030) .
Conclusion: This study indicates that Malaysian adults
have good knowledge on the use and perceived benefits
of mouthwash. A nationwide study is advocated to
gather more information from general population,
targeting the use of mouthwash in a large scale to
minimize oral health problems
