Effects of Keora® Oral Moisture Gel on Tongue-Coating Microbiota

Objectives: Keora® Oral Moisture Gel (keora®) is an oral cosmetic product containing the glutathionic acid derivative Nahlsgen® and 2-Methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine polymers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of keora® on tongue-coating microbiota in healthy volunteers.
Methods: The study design was crossover. Eight subjects (5 males and 3 females, mean age 46.4 years) with a Tongue Coating Index (TCI) of more than 20% at baseline were divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, tongue cleaning combined with the topical application of keora® with a tongue brush was performed once a day before bedtime. In the control group, the same tongue cleaning as in the experimental group was carried out with a tongue brush dipped in water. The experimental period in each group was two weeks, and the TCI and bacterial counts on the tongue surface were investigated at baseline and after two weeks; after a one-month washout period, the experimental and control groups were treated in the same way.
Results: The mean (standard deviation) TCI and bacterial counts on tongue surface in the experimental group were 32.6 (10.9) % and 20.6 (15.1) log10 CFU/ml respectively at baseline and 16.0 (10.0) % and 10.1 (8.5) log10 CFU/ml respectively after 2 weeks. In the control group, the mean (standard deviation) TCI ad bacterial counts on tongue surface were 35.4 (16.1) % and 22.8 (13.9) log10 CFU/ml at baseline and 25.1 (9.4) % and 22.1 (13.1) log10 CFU/ml after two weeks. Both TCI and bacterial counts on the tongue surface in the experimental group were significantly smaller than the baseline values after 2 weeks (p<0.05). There was also a significant difference in the values of the bacterial count on tongue surface between the experimental and control groups after 2 weeks (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Tongue cleaning with keora® for two weeks reduced TCI and the number of bacteria on tongue surface.