Medicina Ocupacional y Asuntos de Salud

Abstracto

Interactions between Mouthwash and Breath Alcohol Testing

Kirushanthi Sakthithasan, Christophe Allanic, Josiane Sicot and Valérie Jouannique

Introduction: Mouthwashes are widely used for daily oral hygiene and often contain ethanol as excipient. In the workplace, breath alcohol tests are performed regularly by the employer for workers with safety tasks. Their positivity might induce professional consequences for workers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction of a mouthwash on breath alcohol.

Methods: Four volunteer subjects participated in the study. Breath alcohol tests were performed at various times by officially verified breathalyzers after a mouthwash.

Results: Breath alcohol levels were positive for the first 10 minutes after a mouthwash and rapidly became negative after 15 minutes.

Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis of a direct interaction of the alcohol-containing mouthwash solution on breath alcohol tests during the first 20 minutes, which justifies precautions when performing these tests.